


I Will Follow You Into The Dark

by creampnff



Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-26
Updated: 2015-07-02
Packaged: 2018-03-25 21:26:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 20,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3825637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/creampnff/pseuds/creampnff
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Laura is attacked late one night by a strange woman, she certainly doesn't expect that same woman to be her new roommate.</p><p>Tumblr: carmycreampuff</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

Prologue

 

By the time Laura left the bar it was at least 10.30, and the cold night had already tumbled into place. The chill began seeping in through her thin jumper as she ran to her car, tucking her hands under her armpits in a desperate attempt to keep warm. Her hands became quickly numb and she struggled to find her keys as she fumbled around in her bag.

It had been a fun evening. The whole gang had been there to celebrate Danny's birthday. Laura had been careful not to drink any alcohol, knowing she would have to drive home on the ice-slicked roads at night. She listened to her car hum to life, shivering in the cold leather seat. LaFontaine and Perry had been sneaking looks at each other all night, and the rest had pretended not to notice. The thought of the two dating made Laura smile as she carefully reversed out of the car park. Her smile turned into a slight frown as she remembered the looks Danny had been giving her. She loved Danny, of course, but not in the way Danny loved her. It had been slightly forced between them after Danny had admitted her feelings and Laura had turned her down. She felt terrible about it, but there was nothing she could do. Besides, she was sure there was something going on between Danny and Kirsch. Their playful arguing always seemed to have a slightly flirty undertone to it.

The road was caked in ice already, and she drove at a slow, steady pace.

Laura reached towards the dashboard and turned on the CD player. She tapped her fingers against the steering wheel as music filled the car. Fog settled in between the trees, and as she curved around a sharp bend, she noticed something dark on the side of the road. It was a person, she noticed.

"Ah, shit," she whispered, slowing to a stop. Having an overprotective dad had definitely made her paranoid. Thoughts of dead bodies and blood and savage animal attacks raced through her head.

"Get out the car, Laura," she muttered to herself. Her curiosity outweighed the fear and she found herself stepping out into the freezing air. God, it was cold. December was not a good month. She couldn't see well through the fog, despite the lights of her car piercing the darkness, so she dug her hand in her pocket to retrieve her phone and switched the torch on.

Hesitantly, Laura took a few steps forward. The wind howled around her. It was eerie and fear quickly began to join the cold in her bones. She couldn't see the body, so she took a few more steps along the side of the road. There. She could see it now. They were probably injured. Not dead. Not dead. She should check, right? Biting her lip nervously, she jogged forward.

Her mouth parted in surprise when she saw the body. It was a woman, covered in dirt and blood, deathly pale. She was wearing leather all over, ripped in places; Laura could see the blood seeping out the gashes. She looked about her own age.

"Fuck," she whispered, kneeling by the body. "Hello? Can you hear me?"

There was no response. She lifted the woman's wrist to feel her pulse. Shit. There was nothing.

She fought back a sob. She had never seen a dead body before, and it was thoroughly upsetting. She stood up, shivering. She had already begun to dial the police when a hand reached out to grab her leg, and she screamed at the contact.

The woman had sat up and was staring at her with an unfathomable look. Laura, her mouth wide open, slowly lowered her phone, oddly transfixed. Even covered in dirt and blood the woman was undeniably attractive. Her dark eyes bored into Laura's with a look that Laura could only describe as feral. A different sort of fear made Laura's muscles tense.

"You were dead," she whispered. "Are you okay? You're bleeding."

The woman slowly looked down at herself, as if she hasn't noticed. Her hand was still around Laura's ankle. Laura could feel her own heart beating ferociously fast.

The woman looked back up, licking her cracked lips. Laura reared back when she saw her eyes. The pupil was a slit, like a cat's. She watched in shock as her iris changed from dark, deep brown to a burning gold. Then suddenly Laura was on the ground, and the woman was straddling her.

"What the..." Laura struggled to move, but she was pinned down. "Hey, get off me!"

"I'm really sorry, cupcake," the woman muttered, her voice cracking.

"Sorry? What do you mean, sorry?" Laura was getting angry, and she had never been more scared in her life. "Look, can you get off please, I-"

Her words were cut off as the woman pulled her head back sharply by her hair and sunk her teeth into her neck. Laura screamed in agony, writhing under the woman, tears already streaming down her face. It felt like fire; and then the fire dulled, and she began to feel nothing; not the wind, not the woman's body on hers, not the fire in her neck. She faded into blackness, and she welcomed it.

**  
  
  
**


	2. Disney doesn't lie

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

That sounds bad, Laura thought, as she woke up. Did I change my alarm? She struggled to open her eyes. Her body felt overly heavy. When her eyelids eventually flew open, she was greeted with an unfamiliar ceiling. White, even squares. Long fluorescent bulbs. She struggled to sit up, and tried to crane her head to the left to see where she was, but a searing pain shot through her neck and she gasped.

"She's awake!" came a cry, and LaFontaine's head appeared in her vision, quickly followed by Perry's and Danny's.

"Hey, you," Danny whispered, smiling softly at her. Perry stared at her anxiously, while LaFontaine was grinning.

"Laura, honey, how are you feeling? LaFontaine, go get the nurse!" Perry ushered her away.

Laura opened her mouth but nothing but a strangled croak came out. "Water," she managed to whisper. Danny disappeared and came back with a cup. She carefully poured a little into Laura's mouth, who gratefully swallowed it. Her throat felt like sandpaper.

"Where am I? What happened?" she asked, her voice hoarse. Her neck was burning.

"Hospital, sweetie," Perry told her, fussing with the sheets. "You were attacked last night. You lost a lot of blood; they had to give you a transfusion."

"Attacked?" Laura frowned at Danny who nodded. "I don't remember... Oh shit! There was this woman- she... She bit me!"

"Yes, well..." Perry gave Danny a worried look. "I think you're a bit confused, dear, understandably of course, this is all so traumatic... you were attacked by an animal. The police said it was a wolf."

"No," Laura said adamantly, "it was a woman, pale skin, dark hair... Oh, and she had cat eyes!"

Perry and Danny looked at each other with even more alarmed expressions. "She must've hit her head or something," she heard Danny mutter.

"I am perfectly fine," Laura snapped. She was aching all over and her neck was getting worse. She reached a shaky hand up to it to feel a bandage. "Can I get some painkillers?"

Right on cue, a smiling nurse appeared and leaned over her. "Hello, dear! What's hurting?"

"My neck, of course, a crazy woman bit it!" The pain was making Laura rude and grumpy, but at this moment she really didn't care. The nurse's smile looked a little more forced as she glanced at Laura's friends.

"You lost a lot of blood, sweetie, and almost froze to death!" She plumped up the pillows and checked the IV. "Now, I'm going to give you some morphine, is that okay?"

"Yes," Laura said, gritting her teeth as her neck burned more painfully. She watched the nurse fiddle around in her peripheral vision as her thoughts cast back to the night before. It had been a woman- she was sure of that. She could remember her dark eyes morphing into those of a cat, remembered her husky voice apologising and calling her cupcake before sinking her teeth into her neck.

The morphine began to kick in and the pain was dulled considerably, as well as all her senses.

"I should go,"she slurred , turning her head to where her friends were staring worriedly at her. "My classes... I missed lectures..."

LaFontaine gave her a reassuring smile. "What you need to do," they said firmly, "is rest."

Laura opened her mouth to argue, but suddenly the ceiling was spinning and she found herself spiralling into darkness.

 ****  


***

 ****  


When she woke, the pain in her neck was remarkably better. She slowly sat up, her muscles sore and stiff. Danny was there, curled up on a chair, fast asleep. Laura watched her, a little sad. Danny was such an amazing person. Why couldn't she just like her the way Danny wanted her to?

The IV had been taken away, and Laura carefully placed two bare feet on the cold hospital floor, pushing onto them slowly with one hand on the railing of the bed. Her head swam. Deep breaths, she thought. When her dizziness passed, she took a look around her. She guessed she was in the corner of a larger ward, listening to soft voices she could hear. A blue curtain was pulled around the bed. She managed to stagger to the wall and pulled the curtain to the side. A nurse looked up from beside the bed opposite hers, and came over.

"How are you feeling?" he asked kindly.

"Much better," Laura said, smiling, "can I go home now?"

The nurse looked at the clipboard in his hand. "I should think so," he said carefully, "but you must take it easy. Take strong painkillers when needed, your wound on your neck is quite large. You don't seem to have any other injuries, but I would stay at home for a while, relax. Your friends will take of you, I'm sure." He handed her a pack of wipes. "Now, these are antiseptic wipes, to use on your neck. Be warned it will really, really hurt, but you don't want an infection. Use them twice daily. You've had all the necessary injections for an animal attack, so I wouldn't be worried. The wipes won't dissolve the stitches- they'll dissolve themselves when the wound is fully sealed. If the wound reopens, or you feel ill, come back immediately. Have you got all that, or would you like to me repeat anything?"

"I think we're okay," Danny said from behind her, and Laura jumped to see her standing by her shoulder. She had written it all down on a notepad. Laura smiled at her gratefully. "Come on," Danny said, putting an arm around her waist. "LaFontaine and Perry took your car home along with all your stuff."

"Okay," Laura said. She leaned into Danny as they slowly made their way along the ward. Her legs ached and her neck was already beginning to hurt again, but she just wanted to get home as soon as possible. Hospitals smelt like death and pain, and brought back memories she preferred to forget.

The walk out the hospital couldn't have taken more than a few minutes, but it felt like she was running a marathon, even with Danny's help. She was panting with exertion when she finally collapsed in the car seat, every muscle on fire and her neck even more so.

"Should we go back?" Danny asked worriedly.

"No, no," Laura said, "I just really want to get home."

Danny gave her a concerned look, but climbed into the drivers seat. She leaned over to buckle Laura's seatbelt, then did her own. The car hummed to life. She could feel Danny glancing at her as she stared out the window, watching the trees fly by in a blur. A hot bath and cocoa, that's what she needed; then she could watch a few episodes of Doctor Who and have an early night.

"Do I have any lectures tomorrow?" she asked suddenly, turning to Danny. "Hang on, what day is it?"

"Wednesday," Danny replied, her eyes fixed on the road as they approached a junction.

"Okay," Laura murmured, "so I have one at 9 with Professor Car-"

"Perry already emailed all your professors telling them you weren't allowed out the house until next Monday."

"Oh." Laura was not surprised.

When they reached the apartment, Danny unlocked the door for her and let her collapse on the sofa. LaFontaine and Perry came hurrying in from across the hall instantly.

"I've already run a hot bath for you, Laura," Perry said, "and LaFontaine is going to make some cocoa."

Laura smiled at her weakly, slowly getting up. "You're the best, Perry, you know that?"

Perry visibly preened. "Well, I'm not bad, am I?"

LaFontaine chuckled. "Modest too."

Perry helped her to the bathroom. Laura paused in the doorway and turned back.

"Guys," she said, "thank you all so much, but I think I'm fine now."

"We can stay," LaFontaine said quickly.

"No," Laura said, waving a hand, "it's okay. I'd like some alone time, if you don't mind."

"Of course," Perry fluttered beside her, "we'll be right across the hall, don't hesitate to call, we will be here right away."

"Thanks guys," Laura sighed. She blew them all a kiss as she closed the bathroom door.

The bath was wonderfully hot as she lowered herself in. Sighing with bliss, she let her eyes close. God, this had not been a fun experience. She lay there happily for about an hour, then quickly washed and dried herself, before peeking around the door to check her apartment was empty and scampering to her bedroom naked. It was the sort of occasion where she was justified in wearing a onesie, she thought, grabbing her tardis one from the wardrobe. She stopped in front of the mirror as she was about to pull it on, her gaze suddenly caught on the bandage at her neck. Slowly, she peeled it off, her hand fluttering to her mouth in horror.

It was appalling. The woman had not been delicate when she had sunk her teeth into the skin of Laura's neck. Tears pricked her eyes as she let her fingers hover above the raw flesh, silently tracing the teeth marks. The stitches were itching a little.

She turned away, not wanting to look any longer. Her skin would be marred forever, she realised, a horrific brand on her neck. She wiped her cheeks, forcing down the anger and sadness.

There was a knock on the door, startling her. "Just coming!" she called, pulling on the tardis onesie. It was probably Perry, worrying as usual.

"Who is it?" she asked as she neared the door, her muscles still slow and stiff despite the bath.

"Um, Carmilla?" a voice said, "your new roommate? We spoke on the phone last week, cupcake."

Cupcake? That was... familiar. She paused, a strange feeling coming over her- and then fought back a cry as she recognised the voice, running to look through the peephole of the door. It was her; she could see those dark, bottomless eyes and brown hair, now neatly curled around the shoulders. Her pale skin almost reflected the lights in the hallway. A small part of Laura's brain registered how ridiculously attractive this woman was- but the main part of her brain shifted into full on panic mode as she leaned against the door, breathing heavily.

"Hello?" the woman said.

Laura thought quickly. She couldn't phone the police; they wouldn't believe her, having deemed it an animal attack. Her friends would think her insane if she told them this was the woman who bit her. Bear spray? Her dad had given her a bag of the stuff, telling her to be safe. She doubted he had been prepared for a crazy woman with cat eyes to bite his daughter.

Laura ran to the cupboard and pulled out the largest, heaviest frying pan she could find. Hell, she told herself, if it worked in Tangled, it could work in real life. Disney didn’t lie, right? She took a deep breath, edging to the door.

“Okay,” the woman- Carmilla said, “this is getting ridiculous, cupcake, you letting me in or not?”

Laura steeled herself. With a shaky hand, she reached for the lock, the other hand gripping the frying pan tightly over her shoulder. The door swung open. Carmilla looked up from the ground. “Hey, cupcake,” she said, smiling lazily, and then Laura watched her eyes widen imperceptibly as she saw who she was. “Oh, fu-”

The frying pan came down hard and Laura watched her new roommate crumple to the ground.

 


	3. The terrible threat of garlic

Laura couldn't quite believe it for a second. Carmilla lay on the carpet completely immobile. Her head had lolled to the side. Laura, her hand still gripping the frying pan tightly, hopped out into the hall to check the coast was clear; then she grabbed Carmilla by the ankles and dragged her into the flat and locked the door behind her. She had a feeling her friends would phone the asylum if they caught her like this.

Now what to do, Laura mused, letting Carmilla lie by the door. She grabbed a sturdy chair from the dining room table and placed it in the middle of the floor. Carmilla was heavy, and Laura was not physically strong. Her arms were burning as she pushed Carmilla up into the chair, not to mention the pain of her neck as she stretched the skin around the wound.

The duct tape came next which she wrapped at least 20 times around Carmilla torso, securing her to the back of the chair, then around her ankles and wrists too just to be safe.

She stepped back for a moment to admire her handiwork. Camilla's head flopped onto her chest.

Laura figured she didn't have much time left until her attacker woke up, so she quickly placed a chair a couple of metres in front of Carmilla and perched on it with a notepad and pen. Flipping to a new page, she neatly wrote a title: Carmilla, new roommate/ attacker.

She began to make notes, thinking carefully back to the attack. Carmilla had had no pulse. She had moved scarily fast. She had been strong, pinning Laura down easily. Her eyes had morphed from dark brown to gold, and her pupil had shrunk to a slit. Laura was sure of all of this.

Carmilla began to slowly stir. Laura nervously moved back a little, her smug feeling replaced quickly by fear. She watched her roommate cough a little, her head slowly lifting up.

"What the hell...?" she murmured, her eyes fixed on the duct tape.

"I'm not afraid of you," Laura said, her voice trembling. Carmilla lifted her eyes to gaze into her own. Laura was struck by the colour; they were completely unfathomable, dark to the point of bottomless.

Carmilla flicked her head to move her hair from her face. She licked her lips, annoyance on her face. "Look cupcake, I don't know what you think you're doing, but its probably going to end badly."

Laura clasped her hands together in her lap. "My name is Laura," she said.

"Duh," Carmilla said, rolling her eyes, "we did speak on the phone last week?"

Oh. She had forgotten about that. "Look," she began, unsure as to what to say. "You attacked me. I know that you aren't human. So really, you should just fess up, because I'm really goddamn pissed off and I will phone the police."

Carmilla's eyes bored into her own without fear. "Cupcake has some fire, huh?" She smirked, glancing down again at the duct tape. "I didn't attack you and I have no clue as to what you're raving on about. Tell me, do you normally tie up your new roomies? Honestly, you should probably seek help; this is worrying behaviour.”

Laura ground her teeth together, then reprimanded herself for letting Carmilla get under her skin. “Don’t lie,” she told her, “I’m not stupid. And I know that you aren’t human. It is isn’t possible.”

At this, Carmilla let out a small laugh. Laura bit her lip, her confidence ebbing. “You bit me, and now I’ll have a scar for the rest of my life.” She turned her head so the wound was visible to Carmilla.

Carmilla dipped her head, her eyes on Laura’s neck. The angle made her look a lot more menacing, and Laura could see clearly now that it was the woman who had bitten her. “That looks nasty,” she said in a voice that made Laura shiver.

“You aren’t getting out of this,” Laura announced, gesturing to the duct tape mess, “until I get some answers.”

Carmilla sniffed and looked away archly. “I don’t know what you’re on about.”

“Carmilla.”

“Cupcake.” She smirked at Laura and licked her lips.

“Are you a vampire?”

The smirk slid off Carmilla’s face. She didn’t say anything, just stared at Laura with a look of surprise. She had a feeling Carmilla wasn’t surprised easily, and felt a smug sense of satisfaction.

“Well, I’ll take that as a yes,” Laura said, smiling, “Now, I have some questions, and I would-”

“I’m not a vampire,” Carmilla said quickly. She glared at Laura, anger clear on her face. “If I was, would I just sit here, tied up helplessly?”

Laura bit her lip. “Maybe even a vampire isn’t strong enough to break duct tape,” she said, her hands curling into fists.

“Some can,” Carmilla muttered under her breath. Laura let her jaw fall slack, then jumped up from the chair, laughing.

“Ha! I heard you! You are a vampire! I knew it!” She smirked at Carmilla, who gave a huff of annoyance and looked away.

“I didn’t say anything,” she insisted. From her position, Laura could see the sunbeams hitting her profile and she was struck by how attractive Carmilla was. She mentally scolded herself; she was here to get answers, not to stare.

Carmilla had said something and was staring at her. "I'm sorry, what?" Laura asked, flushing.

The knowing smirk on Carmilla's face suggested she had seen Laura checking her out. "I said, are you seriously making notes on me? What are you, some kind of therapist?"

"Journalist, actually," Laura replied primly, perching back on the chair. She carefully wrote VAMPIRE on the notepad. When she looked back up, Carmilla was staring at her with an odd look.

"What?" she asked the vampire, chewing the end of her pen.

Carmilla cocked her head to the side. Her eyebrows were furrowed slightly, her eyes locked on Laura.

"What?" she repeated, growing frustrated.

"Why aren't you freaking out?" Carmilla murmured.

Laura was taken aback. "Freaking out? Why would I freak out?"

Carmilla gave a humourless laugh. "I just told you I was an evil creature of the undead, and you're still sitting here."

Laura smiled. "Well, firstly, you're tied up." She smirked as Carmilla scowled. "And secondly..." She paused, thinking for a moment. The woman in front of her, was she evil? She had certainly bitten her, that was for sure. Yet... she didn't seem bad. Bitchy, rude and sarcastic, yes, but evil? The real question was, would Carmilla harm her again? Was she safe?

"Come on, cupcake, I got things to do, people to see, yada yada yada." Carmilla waved her hand in the air, a feat for someone who's arms were pinned down.

"I don't think you're evil," Laura said quietly, honestly.

She had taken Carmilla by surprise again. Her jaw had fallen slack and she was studying Laura again, her face utterly smooth. Laura saw something flicker in her eyes.

"I sank my fangs into your neck, and I drank your blood." Carmilla leered at her as she spoke. "Delicious, by the way."

Laura found her hands trembling. She tucked them under her thighs.

"I'm a creature of the night, creampuff," the vampire continued. "I could kill you in a heartbeat if I wanted to." She studied her nails with a bored expression, then looked at Laura from under her eyelashes. "By the way, this is where you free me, grovel, and hope I don't rip you in half."

Laura took a deep breath. She wasn't scared. No- more intrigued, which she knew was probably insane because at this point a normal person would have run from the room screaming at the top of their lungs. But she couldn't suppress the curious part of her nature.

"Okay, Carmilla," Laura let the syllables roll off her tongue. The vampires name was melodic, like sweet music; a direct contrast with the vampire in front of her, who was dressed in leather pants and a black t-shirt, a seemingly fixed smirk on her face. "I'm going to ask you some questions. You are going to answer them. Are we clear?" She commended herself for keeping her head up and her voice loud.

"Or what, cupcake?" Carmilla said quietly, her dark eyes flashing.

"Or... I'll get the garlic."

At this Carmilla scowled and looked away. "I can deal with garlic. I'm not a fucking newborn."

"Great!" Laura exclaimed, clapping her hands together. She stood up quickly, heading over to the kitchen area of the flat, and grabbed a clove of garlic from the cupboard. When she dropped it in Carmilla's lap, the vampire visibly blanched.

"Doing okay, Carmilla?" Laura asked sweetly. The vampire had pulled her head as far away as possible. Her teeth were ground together, her hands curled into fists.

"Fine," she snarled. Laura took her seat again.

"Perfect. Right, question one." Carmilla shuffled a little on the chair, trying to dislodge the garlic. Laura watched as the piece fell to the floor and Carmilla gave her a triumphant look.

"Question one," she repeated, "are you a vampire?"

"What is this, twenty fucking questions?"

Laura bit her lip. "Answer them, and I'll consider letting you go."

Carmilla's eyes bored into hers, making her shiver. "That's not a good idea, cupcake... Have you ever met an angry vampire? Let me tell you, there's a pretty angry vampire here, and you know what angry vampires do?" Her smirk was back.

"Enlighten me." Laura broke eye contact. Carmilla's eyes were too intense.

"They pin you down, they put their fangs in your neck, and they drink your blood." Carmilla let her eyes roll leisurely down Laura's body. "Sometimes, creampuff, they do other things as well, depending on their mood..."

Laura found herself swallowing hard and crossing her legs. "Question one. Are you a vampire?"

"Do we have to do this interview?" Carmilla said, yawning. Laura could see her teeth. White, even and regular. No sign of fangs.

"Yes. Humour me," she replied.

"Yes, I'm a goddamn vampire," Carmilla drawled.

Laura scribbled on the paper. "Next one. Do you drink blood?"

Carmilla glared at her. "Of course I do, cupcake."

"Do you have fangs?" Laura asked curiously.

"They come out when I'm hungry- or thirsty, whatever you wanna call it- or angry." She smirked. "Or aroused."

"The garlic?"

"It weakens me," Carmilla admitted. Laura suppressed her excitement. This was it, this was what a journalist entailed. Finding things out, finding the weird and the wonderful and interviewing fascinating people. Or vampires.

"Why does it do that?" she queried.

"I don't know, creampuff, I'm not a goddamn scientist." She gave Laura a dull look.

"Okay. Next. Do you need to sleep in a coffin?"

Carmilla barked out a laugh. "Give me silk sheets over those cages any day."

"Oh, so you have slept in one, then?" Laura asked.

Carmilla winced, then looked away. Laura leaned forward on the edge of her chair. She had a feeling her question had brought up unwanted memories. "On a few occasions, I have," Carmilla muttered.

"Okay..." Laura chewed the end of her pen. "Do you need blood to survive? How often do you have to feed?"

Carmilla thought for a moment. "Regularly," she said slowly.

When Carmilla didn't elaborate, Laura moved on. "How old are you?"

"My body is 19," Carmilla told her.

"But when were you... You know, turned into a vampire?"

Carmilla's eyes took on a hollow look. "Long enough to see things that should not be seen."

Laura decided it best not to press. Carmilla looked away, her eyebrows pulling together.

"Sunlight?"

"Like garlic. Irritating, not impossible."

"And what about the weird cat eyes?"

Carmilla sighed heavily. "Every vampire has an animal, something that they can turn into at will. Mine is a panther."

"So you could turn into a panther right now?" Laura had never been more fascinated.

"It..." Carmilla shook her head. "It's not... something we do often. It hurts. It's not worth the pain most of the time. Sometime we can't control the shift; when we are starving or weak, we often shift because in our animal body, it is easier to... get food."

"Right." The thought of Carmilla the panther was too surreal. She moved swiftly on.

"Do you have super strength and speed?" She queried.

Carmilla pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. Holy hell, Laura thought, catching the movement, were all vampires this ridiculously attractive?

Carmilla caught her staring and cleared her throat. "Staring is rude, cupcake," she said throatily.

Laura blushed and looked down. "The question?"

Carmilla smirked but began to speak. "Vampires are typically strong and fast, yes. Our power increases with age. Some of the oldest ones..." She frowned. "Let's just say you wouldn't want to bump into them in a dark alley. Or anywhere, for that matter."

"Avoid old vampires," Laura said, "duly noted."

Carmilla laughed. The genuine sound made Laura drop her pen in surprise. She bent down to pick it up. "And last but not least..." Her voice trailed off. "Why did you attack me?" she finally asked softly, looking up at Carmilla.

Carmilla looked pained, Laura had to give her that. "I never meant to harm anyone, Laura," she said. "I was weak, I had just... had a run-in with a... an old friend. I was out of control."

Laura was surprised to hear her name from Carmilla's lips. Her smooth, husky voice made her shiver. "I'm truly sorry for the suffering I have caused," Carmilla told her sincerely.

Laura didn't know what to say. She had expected a shitty excuse, or maybe not even an excuse at all. She had wanted to yell, scream, swear at Carmilla for scarring her.

"Look," Carmilla continued, running a hand through her hair. "I am a vampire. Yeah, it's true. But I just want to live my life. Get on with it. Is that okay with you, cupcake? Can I live here in peace?"

Laura slowly stood up. "I should think so," she said carefully. "Can I trust you, Carmilla?"

Flirty, smirking Carmilla was back instantly. "Probably not," she said, winking.

Laura chewed her lip. "Fine. I'm cutting you loose." She grabbed some scissors from the drawer and began to hack through the duct tape. It took a few minutes, and when Carmilla was free, she nervously stepped back, gripping the scissors hard in her fist. Carmilla rose slowly with the grace of a cat. She stretched, rolling her head around, shaking her legs. Then she pinned Laura with a look that made Laura's heart beat faster.

It was sudden, like the attack. Laura was suddenly flat on the ground, Carmilla straddling her hips. Carmilla's face was a few inches from her own; she could see little flecks of gold around her pupil.

"I could drink you dry," Carmilla murmured to her, moving forward so that her lips just touched her ear. Laura couldn't help but gasp. She could feel Carmilla's hips against her own, smell the scent of her shampoo; the parts of her stomach where Carmilla's hands were pressing down on felt electric, like there was a current under her skin that responded to the vampire's touch. She was terrified; and yet she also didn't think she'd ever been more turned on in her whole life than she was right now.

"What's stopping you?" she asked the vampire, who's tongue darted out to lick the skin of Laura's neck. Laura fought back a moan. Her heart was beating fast; she could feel her panties growing damp.

"Nothing," Carmilla said briskly, suddenly standing up. Laura watched her from the floor, her face hot, her skin on fire. "Where is the shower?"

Laura found she couldn't think. "The...shower?"

"Yes, cupcake, the shower, I need to wash, I smell," Carmilla said impatiently. She wasn't even looking at Laura now.

Laura sat up, her head spinning a little. "Shower...right, it's, um, there, I mean, the bathroom, it's over there, and then there's a shower in the bathroom, of course," she rambled, trailing off when she watched Carmilla already walking away.

"I'm gonna use your stuff, cupcake, do you mind? Cool, cheers." She slammed the door of the bathroom without waiting for an answer.

Laura, her face now flushed with annoyance, pushed up off the floor. "Holy Hogwarts," she said to to herself, "that girl is so rude."


	4. Stupid, stupid, hot, stupid roommate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the wait... not too happy with this chapter but hope you guys like it! Please comment and tell me what you think. Sorry for any mistakes I'm really bloody tired atm

"CARMILLA!"

Laura stormed out of the bathroom, her face hot with anger and frustration.

"Carmilla," she snapped. When the girl didn't reply, she stormed over to the sofa. The vampire was lying on her back, a book over her face. "Carmilla!" She snatched the book off of her, her face pinched. The vampire lazily opened an eye. "It's not bloody difficult to clean the goddamn shower after you-"

"Can't hear a word, cupcake," Carmilla drawled loudly, gesturing to her headphones.

Laura, who thought she was actually about to explode, ripped them off of the woman's head.

"You are the absolute worst roommate in the entire history of the whole fucking world!" Laura yelled. "You've been here all of three days and the bathroom is a bombsite! It's not difficult to remove your stupid hair from the plug!"

Carmilla raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. "Right."

"That's it," Laura growled furiously. " _Right._ That's all you've got to say. You've been alive for what, decades? And you're still a completely disgusting slob!"

Carmilla smirked. "Centuries, actually." She winked, then leaned up, grabbed her headphones and book from Laura's hands, and settled back on the sofa. Then she put the headphones back on and lay back down with the book over her eyes.

For a minute, Laura felt like she would actually murder her. She just stood next to Carmilla, her hands curled into tight fists, her mouth opening and closing like a dumbfounded fish. I'm a pacifist, she told herself. Violence is not the answer. Besides, she didn't exactly have a chance against the stupid vampire who had the strength of a hundred grown men.

"Cupcake, I'm trying to relax, can you do me a favour and fuck off?"

Laura huffed and stormed out of the apartment.

****  
  


**

"I literally can't deal with her."

Laura cupped the mug in her cold hands and took a sip. Perry made the best cocoa. She felt better already.

"Talk to Barry," Perry suggested.

"The landlord?"

"Yeah, he could kick her out."

They were sitting around the table in LaFontaine and Perry's apartment. Laura had flown in like a tiny, raging tornado, ranting at the top of her voice about "her stupid, stupid, hot, stupid roommate", and then collapsed on the sofa and moaned that she needed cocoa and cookies.

LaFontaine grinned. " I wanna meet her."

Laura threw them a glare. "No, you don't."

"She sounds..." Perry trailed off. "Entertaining?" She slid off her stool.

"Irritating as hell, more like," Laura muttered. "Seriously, how much hair can one person lose in one shower?"

LaFontaine chuckled. Laura dropped her head onto the table. “She’s so annoying,” she groaned, “she never cleans up after herself, she listens to obnoxiously loud music, she ignores me when I try to speak to her, she never cooks, she steals my food- oh, and she always does something stupidly loud whenever I’m watching Doctor Who!”

“No one should mess with Laura’s Doctor Who,” LaFontaine said seriously.

“Exactly.”

“I think we should meet her,” Perry said, placing a plate of cookies in front of Laura, who grabbed a handful and stuffed them in her mouth.

“She’s so rude,” she mumbled, crumbs spraying everywhere. Perry tsked and told her to stop talking with her mouth full in case she choked.

“We should still meet her,” LaFontaine said, “she’s our neighbour too now, it’s polite.”

“Exactly,” Perry agreed, “It’s polite. We should welcome her to the building.”

Laura shrugged. “Have fun with that.”

****  
  


**

When Laura returned to the apartment, Carmilla was gone. She sighed in relief and sat at the table to do some work, but ten minutes into an essay she gave up. Her mind kept moving elsewhere. She dropped her pen on the table and groaned. The day was beginning to end; autumn sunlight flooded the room, giving it a warm amber glow. She stood up and went over to the window. At times like these she was grateful for the glass that covered the back wall of the apartment. The sunset was glorious. She leant against the cool surface and watched the sun melt away.

“Pretty.”

Laura started and spun around. Carmilla was only a few metres away from her, wearing a loose flannel shirt and her normal leather. Her dark hair was tied in a bun at the nape of her neck, and her feet were bare.

“Where did you come from?” Laura gasped, her heart beating fast. The vampire had scared her.

“I was in the shower, cupcake,” Carmilla said lazily. She spun around and made her way to the sofa.

“And did you manage to remove all your hair from the plug? Or was that just too difficult?” Laura snapped, her earlier anger back. Carmilla gave no answer, but instead lifted her hand up to give Laura the middle finger over the back of the sofa. Laura scowled and stalked over to the kitchen area. She heard Carmilla switch on the TV but didn’t bother to look.

“I’m making dinner, do you want some?” she asked. She commended herself for being civil. Perry would be proud, she mused, as she placed a pan on the cooker and poured some oil in.

“What is it?” Carmilla responded.

“Stir fry.”

“Fine.”

Laura turned the gas on and began to prepare the chicken. “You know, in this apartment, we take turns doing things,” she said loudly over the sounds of the TV.

“What is this mysterious ‘we’ that you speak of,” she heard Carmilla drawl. Her voice, despite the annoying things she said, made Laura feel funny things in her stomach. She ignored them and began viciously chopping onions.

“Chores,” she replied, “You need to start doing them.”

Carmilla didn’t reply. Laura gritted her teeth. Her eyes began to sting due to the onion and tears welled in her eyes. She threw the pieces in the pan and ignored the vampire.

When the food was ready, she put it on two plates and carried them to the sofa.

“Thank you,” Carmilla muttered when she wordlessly handed her the plate. Laura was a little surprised, but said nothing. She sat down on the cushions with her food, scooting as far away from Carmilla as possible.

“Come on, cupcake, I don’t bite,” Carmilla said slyly, noticing the movement. “Oh wait, I do. But I’d only do it in the good way.” She threw Laura a wink and a smirk. Laura, who hadn’t realised she was looking at Carmilla, scowled at her and snatched the remote. She immediately changed the channel. It was Carmilla’s turn to scowl. “I was watching that.”

“I made the food, I choose what we’re watching,” Laura snapped. Carmilla held her hands up in surrender. Laura smiled smugly. Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets was on, and she happily nestled into the sofa.

"Seriously. Harry Potter?"

"Oh my God, if you insult Harry Potter, I will actually kill you," Laura said to her, dead serious.

Carmilla smiled, a proper smile of someone suppressing laughter. It transformed her whole face. Laura stared, her fork halfway to her open mouth.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer."

Laura coughed, flushed, and stared pointedly at the TV.

They ate in silence for a few minutes. Harry had just seen Ginny lying on the ground of The Chamber of Secrets when Carmilla said suddenly, "are you seriously mouthing the words?"

"What? No. That would be, so... lame." Laura blushed hard. So she knew it off by hard, no harm in that. Harry Potter was life, after all.

"So, tell me," Carmilla said, turning to her. The vampire's eyes were warmer today. Laura had a feeling she should saviour civil Carmilla while it lasted, and doubted it would be very long before snarky bitch Carmilla was back. "What Hogwarts house am I in?"

"Slytherin." No hesitation there. Carmilla smirked and looked at her nails. Laura noted they were painted dark red. Blood red.

"Am I that evil?" she said in a low voice, looking at Laura through thick lashes.

"Slytherin are not evil," Laura said immediately. She had given this speech many times. "Some are, of course, like He Who Must Not Be Named, or Lucius Malfoy; Slytherin are cunning and intelligent, which can sometimes lead them down a dark path. But there are some good ones too, like Snape."

Carmilla gave her a look. "You're such a dork."

"Harry Potter is cool!" Laura defended.

"Let me guess, you're a Hufflepuff?" Carmilla drawled. She turned to properly face Laura, crossing her legs on the sofa.

"How dare you," Laura gasped, "I'm a proud Ravenclaw, I'll have you know."

Carmilla laughed, a deep, sultry sound. Laura couldn't help but marvel at it. It was stupidly sexy. She felt a flush of excitement as she realised she was having an actual conversation with Carmilla. No shouting, no snarky comments, actual talking, face to face. Like roommates should.

"Thanks for dinner," Carmilla said, and hopped off the sofa. Laura's good spirits fell instantly. She tried not to look upset.

"Where are you going?" she asked, as Carmilla grabbed her leather jacket from the back of the door.

"Out," the vampire said. She disappeared out the door in the blink of an eye.

Laura tried not to feel upset, but she was. She picked up her plate and Carmilla's, making her way over to the kitchen. She dumped the plates in the sink and dropped her head onto the counter. Carmilla was an enigma, a puzzle she was desperate to solve. Yes, she was irritating, rude and selfish. Yes, she was a slob who never cleaned up after herself. Jesus, she wasn't even human! But Laura felt that underneath the snark and the biting remarks was a person who she wanted to know. Just in a friend way, of course. At least that was what Laura was trying to tell herself.

There was a loud thud from outside the the apartment and a yell. Laura reared instantly as the door to the apartment slammed open. Carmilla stormed in, her hand gripping something- no, someone.

"What the hell! Laura, Laura, help!" A voice yelled.

"Kirsch?" Laura ran over. Carmilla, her mouth set in a firm line, was holding Kirsch by the collar of his jacket, dragging him into the apartment. Kirsch was desperately trying to pull away. "Carmilla, let go!"

"Why? This lackwit was trying to get in."

"He's my friend! Let go!" Laura hit Carmilla's arm. The vampire let go, scowling.

"Laura!" She was enveloped in a crushing bear hug. "I was trying to get in but you must have changed the lock. Then this crazy woman attacked me!" Kirsch smelt warm and familiar. Laura hugged him back tightly.

"This is Carmilla," Laura said to him, pulling back to look up at Kirsch's face. "My new roommate." His face was slightly stubbly. He looked older and more mature.

"Oh, what happened to Elsie?" Kirsch asked. He grinned. "I liked her. She was nice."

"Elsie moved to England," Laura informed him. The door slammed. Carmilla had gone. "Sorry about her, she's a bit... cranky." Understatement of the year, she thought. She hooked her arm around his. It was difficult considering how tiny she was compared to his huge body. "Now, how was it? Tell me everything! When did you get back?"

Kirsch puffed out his chest. "It was amazing. I feel like I really matured as a person, you know? I came here straight away, little nerd hottie! I was thinking we call the others and have a big chill out sesh."

"Great idea! Where's all your stuff?" Laura gestured for him to sit down. He perched on the tall stool by the kitchen. It made him even taller. Laura looked up into his big, smiling face and beamed. She had missed the big softie.

"I dropped it all off at my place before coming here to see you!"

Laura kissed his cheek. "I'll call the others," she said.

****  
  


***

****  
  


"And then, my backpack fell off, and hit him square in the face!"

The room erupted with laughter. Laura laughed so hard that tears raced down her cheeks. LaFontaine choked on their beer. Even Perry wiped a tear away from under her eye.

"Dude, so awesome!" Will said, and fist bumped with Kirsch. "My bro had some wild times, yeah?"

"Hell yeah!" Kirsch crowed.

The whole gang was there, spread out on Laura's floor. Laura, a beer in her hand, was lying along the sofa with her head in Will's lap and her feet in Danny's. Perry and LaFontaine were sharing the beanbag, and Kirsch was beside them. Laura was relaxed and tipsy.

"Oh, guys, check it out." Kirsch hopped up, turned around, and lifted up his shirt. On his lower back was a small tattoo, depicting a symbol in a language Laura didn't recognise.

"Cool, what does it mean?" LaFontaine asked curiously.

"It means vitality and long life to you and your loved ones," Kirsch announced to the room proudly.

"Bro, awesome." Will and Kirsch fist bumped again. Laura couldn't help but roll her eyes. Frat boys would always be frat boys.

"Which was the best place?" Danny asked seriously.

Kirsch looked thoughtful. "Probably... Australia. Those beaches were awesome. So many hotties. You guys would have loved it."

"Sounds so inspiring," Danny said dryly.

"Oh, dude, it was!" Kirsch replied. He launched into another tale about 'smokin' hotties playing volley'. Laura smiled and closed her eyes.

The front door opened. All the chatter stopped as Carmilla stalked in. Laura, her head swimming, couldn't help but stare as the vampire sauntered in, her leather pants deliciously tight, her midriff showing in a black corset that hugged her body, leaving nothing to the imagination.

"You must be Carmilla!" Perry said, hopping up. Carmilla barely gave her a glance. She jerked her head up at the group in greeting then made her way over to the kitchen area.

Laura felt like she should do something. "Hang on guys," she muttered, "I'll get her to talk."

She rolled gracelessly off Danny and Will, stumbling a little as she got to her feet. Christ, how much had she had to drink? More than she realised. She staggered over to Carmilla. The vampire was leaning casually against the counter, watching Laura over the edge of her glass.

"Carm," she slurred, "come and say hi to my friends." Jesus, why should someone get to be attractive? She let her eyes rake hungrily down the woman's body, drinking in her curves and edges. Carmilla smirked at her, and she had the grace to blush slightly. "Come on."

"Cupcake, are you drunk?" Carmilla drawled. She sipped from her glass. Her eyes never left Laura's. Laura shivered. Was it possible to get turned on from someone looking at you alone? She looked away, feeling uncomfortably hot.

"She is, she's such a lightweight!" LaFontaine called.

Laura scowled. " I am so not," she said, grabbing onto the counter for balance as her head swam. "I only had, like, a thousand beers. That's all." She reached forward and grabbed Carmilla's hand. "You are coming to say hi to my friends," she told the vampire loudly, and dragged her behind her as she made her way back to the group.

"Guys, this is Carmilla, my new roomie!" Laura announced proudly. She positioned Carmilla next to her. Then she realised she was still holding her hand and quickly let go. Carmilla turned to her and raised an eyebrow.

"Shut up," she muttered.

"Didn't say anything," the vampire replied, smirking into her drink.

Laura cleared her throat. Carmilla's proximity was doing funny things to her body. She took a small step away. "Anyway," she said, "Carmilla, this is Perry, that's LaFontaine, Danny is the freakishly tall one there, they all live on this floor with us. And that's Kirsch, he has just been travelling for six months! And that's Will-"

"We know each other," Will interjected. Laura stopped in surprise. She glanced at Carmilla. The vampire's face gave nothing away. She and Will were staring at each other, each unreadable. Laura had a feeling there was some bad blood between them.

"Yes," Carmilla said finally. She cleared her throat. "We do."

"Oh, how lovely! How's that?" Perry asked conversationally. Evidently Laura was the only one who noticed the tension.

"Childhood friends," Will said cryptically. He took a sip of his beer. His eyes still hasn't left Carmilla's. Carmilla was frozen beside her.

"Delightful!" Perry said, "Carmilla, do join us, we would love to get to know you, being neighbours and all."

Carmilla broke eye contact and the strange tension was over. Will went back to his smiley, happy self. Carmilla visibly relaxed. "Honestly, I would rather die," she replied to Perry.

Laura laughed nervously. "Ha ha, you joker, you!" She nudged Carmilla with her hip. "She's just joking! She'd love to come join us. Come sit, Carmilla." She lowered her voice to a whisper and turned to her roommate as the room dissolved into chatter again. "Play nice. These are my friends."

Carmilla leaned in a little closer. Laura held her breath. She was even more attractive up close. "But being naughty is so much more fun, cutie," Carmilla said huskily. She smirked.

Laura felt her face heat up. "Let's go sit," she yelped nervously, her voice strangely high pitched. She grabbed Carmilla's hand again - why did she keep doing that? She blamed it on the alcohol - and pulled the vampire over to the sofa. As she sat down next to Danny, she instantly regretted the decision. The only space left was between her and Will, and she had a feeling Carmilla wouldn't want to sit there. She awkwardly shuffled across to sit next to Will.

Laura couldn't help staring as Carmilla turned around to sit down, and she was blessed with a leather-coated ass close to her face. Said leather-coated ass perched itself next to her, and she began to regret her choice of seat again. The fit was snug. Very snug. The petite sofa barely held 3 people, and with 4 on it, she was uncomfortably close to Carmilla. Their legs were pressed tightly together, elbows and shoulders just brushing. She could feel the heat radiating of Carmilla's body in waves, and itched to touch her. Her imagination began wondering as she thought of Carmilla's body laid on the bed, stripped of its leather, Laura drinking in the sight from the doorway before she walked over to the naked vampire and began to caress her smooth, soft...

"Laura? Earth to Laura! Wake up!"

She blinked, jolted from her reverie. "I'm sorry, what?" Gosh, it was hot in here. Was it hot in here? Maybe it was just her... or the body pressed up against hers that was so deliciously warm...

"For the fifth time, I said, do you want another beer?" Perry repeated calmly.

Laura blushed. Then she blushed harder. She could sense Carmilla's smile, and refused to look. She had a feeling the vampire knew what she had been thinking about. LaFontaine was grinning into their cup. Laura glared at them. They snickered and looked away.

"Laura!"

"What?" She turned to Perry. "Oh, the beer... Right. No, thank you." She had definitely had enough to drink.

"So, Carmilla, tell us about yourself!" Perry said warmly.

Carmilla replied, but Laura didn't really listen to the words that came out of her mouth; she was hypnotised by the smooth, husky voice, like honey poured over chocolate. _Jesus Christ, why am I so horny tonight?_

"What was that, Laura?"

Oh god, had she said that out loud? She flushed a deeper red. She felt the vibrations through her body as Carmilla laughed into her drink. Laura shivered unwillingly.

"Cold?" Perry asked, always the mother hen. She handed Laura the blanket. "Take this."

More like too hot, Laura thought, her body burning as Carmilla fidgeted next to her. She thanked Perry and took the blanket nevertheless, pulling the fabric over her body. Both Danny and Will pulled the ends away from her so that all four of them were wrapped in warmth.

It made it worse. Under the blanket, Laura was even more aware of Carmilla beside her. She was aware of some sort of conversation occurring as this point, but couldn't think straight.

A hand touched her thigh. She gasped, shooting a look at Carmilla in warning, but the vampire was staring straight forward, a small smile touching the corners of her perfectly formed mouth. Laura felt her body heat up even more as the hand slowly inched its way up her leg, slowly getting closer to the part that was aching for Carmilla's touch...oh god, she couldn't think, couldn't form thoughts anymore, she couldn't-

Laura made a quick decision. Time to get up or she would do something that she would regret. She jumped to her feet. The blanket pulled taut around her legs, and she fell flat on her face.

_Ouch._


	5. Even vampires have a soft side

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologise- this chapter is long but it's also really bad. Let me know what you think! And please let me know if there any mistakes.  
> PS. sorry for the terrible smut. I haven't written it in a longgg time.

"You are such a klutz," LaFontaine said, shining a light into Laura's eye. They let go of Laura's eyelid to pull the other one down and moved the light over.

"Yes, thank you," Laura muttered. She pressed the ice pack harder onto her head. The throbbing was annoying, not unbearable. It had sobered her up pretty quickly, and she was now in a state of embarrassment and mild pain. The others had laughed for about ten solid minutes, while Perry had panicked that she might have concussion.

"Pupils are fine, I think you're good, Laura," LaFontaine said, turning off the light. "Per, she's fine, okay, don't worry."

"Are you sure? Did you check her head?" Perry fluttered nervously around them.

"Yes. Calm."

"Hmmm... fine," Perry acknowledged, peering at Laura like she was a bomb that could go off any second.

"Perry, I'm fine," Laura sighed, "aside from smelling like beer. I need to go change."

She slid off of the stool, icepack still firmly in her hand, and waddled over to the door of her room. Somehow she had managed to fall on the floor and hit two bottles of beer in the process, which spilt all over her new jeans and shirt. Walking in soaking wet clothes was not fun. Perry wouldn't let her go until LaFontaine had checked that she wasn't going to die.

Murmurs reached her ears and she paused with her hand on the doorknob. She glanced behind her- Perry and LaFontaine were back by the sofa with Danny and Kirsch, laughing at something. Will and Carmilla weren't there. She checked to see the others weren't watching, then skipped around the side of the kitchen and down the corridor to where Carmilla's room was. The door was slightly ajar, and she could hear Will and Carmilla inside, talking in whispers.

She crouched gingerly outside, cupping her hand to her ear to hear better.

"...doing here, William?"

Slowly, Laura edged forward to peek around the door. She could see Carmilla, hands clasped behind her, pacing the room with her head turned to Will. Will was sitting on the bed, his back to where she crouched.

"I could ask you the same," he replied.

"I live here," Carmilla whispered angrily.

"So do I."

She growled at him, baring her teeth. "Bullshit."

Will heaved a sigh. Laura watched his shoulders move up and down with the movement. "Millarca-"

"Carmilla."

Will held up his hands. "Cousin, we have both heard the whisperings about. You know as well as I-"

"Don't say it. Just don't." Carmilla sighed heavily, running a hand quickly through her hair. Then she covered her face with both hands. "William, it can't be. We both saw it, we both saw her-"

He jumped up. "I know. I remember that day like it was yesterday."

Carmilla placed her hands on his shoulders. Her face had lost its edginess now. She stared into his face.

"I've been without you lot for decades. Why show up now?"

Will laughed. "Cousin, you came to me, not I to you."

Laura bit her fist to stop herself from saying something aloud. She had never heard Will speak so oddly, so formally. And to address Carmilla as cousin? What was with that?

Carmilla scowled and ripped her hands from his shoulders. "Fine. Fine. Just... I want to stay here, William, for a few decades at least. Don't mess this up for me."

"I wish for only the same, dearest cousin." Laura watched Will turn slightly in her direction and she spun away from the door, pressing her back to the wall. Her heart was beating loudly in her chest.

"You should speak to Lucem, he can get you hooked up," she heard Will say.

"Yeah, I will. I've been taking from the hospital." Carmilla's voice was low and bleak.

"Cousin, you need to accept this." There was a sigh. "Mother is back. You know as well as I that she will seek us out first."

"Yeah, well, I will kill her for good this time." Laura could have sworn that Carmilla's voice was trembling.

"We can only pray."

Laura scurried down the corridor and slipped into the spare bedroom just as Will left the room. She stood just inside the room for a second, breathing quickly through her mouth. She felt a little bad; snooping was not a good quality. But then it was what a journalist did for a living, so she might as well practice. She waited for about a minute, then strode out of the room- and straight into Carmilla.

"Ah!"

The vampire put one hand on each wall, blocking Laura in. Her eyes were dark. Laura was close enough to watch the colours swirling, tendrils of brown mixing with one another.

"How much did you hear?" Carmilla asked, her voice husky.

"Hear?" Laura gave a nervous laugh. "Nothing!"

She gulped as the vampire's eyes slitted and melted into a gorgeous amber colour. Carmilla smiled, showing sharp, sharp canines that were growing longer by the second.

"Okay, okay! No need to get all fangy...." Laura said quickly. "I heard it all."

Carmilla closed her mouth. Her eyes resumed their normal state. "Great. Forget it all, understand?"

"What? I can't."

"I mean it. I'm only protecting you, cupcake. Forget it." Carmilla was firm.

Laura shrugged. "Alright... I mean, I can't actually forget it, but I'll pretend I never heard it."

"Thank you."

She was still too close to Laura for comfort. Their noses were just inches apart. Carmilla licked her lips and suddenly the air was electric, the space between them charged. Laura moved backwards, unsettled. The vampire took a deep breath.

"So is Will your cousin then?" Laura blurted.

Carmilla groaned. She ran a hand through her hair. Laura watched the movement, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth. God, she was so attracted to her. Who wouldn't be? She just oozed sexiness, all dark and brooding...

"Okay, listen," Carmilla said, licking her lips again, "I'll tell you... stuff, but we have to wait for everyone to go first. I can't have anyone else knowing my shit, got it?"

"Yes, yes," Laura said excitedly. Project find-out-what-makes-mysterious-vampire-roommate-tick was finally happening. She watched Carmilla stride down the corridor, bouncing with excitement.

"Dude, you forgot to change," LaFontaine said when she returned to the group.

"My... Oh shit, yeah." That had been why she got up in the first place. She blushed a little at LaFontaine's questioning look and went to her bedroom.

Ew, wet clothes. She peeled off her shirt and jeans, folded them neatly, then placed them in the washing basket by the door. It was the early hours of the morning now - a perfect time for onesie wearing. Her tardis onesie was dirty, but she had others. She pulled her dinosaur onesie out from the wardrobe and climbed into it. It was bright lime green, with a yellow head and little spikes down the back.

"You are too cute," Danny said instantly when Laura came back, then blushed. Laura didn't know what to say. Things were still awkward between them. She bit her lip and sat down beside Kirsch on the floor, avoiding Danny's eyes. Carmilla had gone. Kirsch had passed out from tiredness, Will beside him, while LaFontaine and Perry were snuggled together on the beanbag. Laura couldn't help but smile at the sight. She closed her eyes and placed her head on Kirsch's arm. He pulled her in close and hugged her like a teddy bear and she let sleep overpower her.

 

***

 

The darkness lunged at her, sucking her in. She couldn't breathe, couldn't scream; it clawed at her, scratched her skin, tried to prise her mouth open... She struggled to pull away but her body wasn't responding. A fist closed around her throat, cold and smooth as steel, squeezing, choking, draining all that she had. A hand, soft and delicate, stroked her cheek tenderly.

"Shhh," whispered a voice, "it will all be over soon."

Her mouth was wrenched open and the darkness flew inside of her, smothering her...

"Laura!"

A mouth at her ear. "Time to wake up," it whispered coldly, "say hello to Mircalla-"

"Laura!"

Her eyes flew open, the darkness dissolving around her. She gasped, oxygen flooding her lungs, a welcome guest. Blurry images before her eyes sharpened to become a worried face.

"Laura, you were having a nightmare... It's okay, shhh..." Carmilla was stroking her shoulder, her other hand brushing away hair from her face. "Are you okay?"

Carmilla helped her up from where she was laying on the floor. She looked into Carmilla's worried face and burst into tears.

"Laura!" Carmilla looked a little frantic now. "Hey, it's okay, it was just a dream."

"N-no," Laura blubbered. At the back of her mind she was aware she was crying like an ugly baby in front of her extraordinarily attractive roommate, but she was too shaken up to care. "That was not just a dream."

"What else could it have been?" Carmilla asked gently, a hand in the small of Laura's back.

"I don't- it was-" Laura sniffed, rubbing a hand down her face. She looked at Carmilla suddenly. "The voice... it said to...to..." The memory was trying to pull away from her, she could feel it.

"To what, cupcake?" Carmilla was being so gentle, so unlike her normal self that Laura felt herself relax.

"To say hello to Mir...Mir... I can't remember!" Laura was angry all of a sudden. She bit her lip and desperately tried to think of what the voice had said, but the memory was slipping through her fingers like sand, like something was erasing it from her brain.

"Cupcake..." Carmilla didn't seem to know what to do with herself. For some reason Laura found that she was suddenly laughing through the tears. "Should I make you some cocoa?"

"That would be lovely, thank you," Laura said, giving her a blinding smile. So her vampire had a soft side after all. Carmilla stared at her, shook her head and leapt up, muttering under her breath. She held out a hand to Laura, who gratefully took it. The blanket was still on the sofa, so Laura snuggled up in it, shivering, while Carmilla bustled around the kitchen. "Where is everyone?"

"They all left a while ago," the vampire answered her, "but you looked so cute asleep we all decided to let you sleep a little longer."

Laura smiled a little. "I knew you had a soft side," she said.

A gasp. "How dare you, I am not soft," she heard Carmilla splutter. "I don't have a _soft_ side."

"Sure, Carm, whatever you say," Laura laughed.

The vampire was silent for a moment before she said softly, "no one has ever given me a nickname before."

"Really?" Laura was surprised, and a little saddened. "And yet you already have a hundred nicknames for me."

"But sweetheart, you're so easy to tease," Carmilla said lightly. Laura couldn't think of a reply to that. God, she was so bad at flirting; the opposite of Carmilla, who already knew exactly how to make her shiver.

"Here we go," Carmilla said, reappearing in her vision with a mug in each hand. She handed the steaming one to Laura, who accepted it gratefully and sat up, still cocooned in her blanket.

"Thanks." Laura inhaled the steam deeply, letting it clear her aching head. "What is that?" She gestured to the mug.

"Oh." Carmilla looked faintly embarrassed. "It's, uh, blood."

"From whom?" Laura said instantly, a little worried.

Carmilla frowned at her. "Relax," she said, "it's from a reliable source."

"Elaborate?" Laura took a sip. Mmm. Perfect.

Carmilla sighed and ran her free hand through her hair. She curled up on the sofa beside Laura. "There's a guy... He helps... People get their preferred choice. Safely."

"A vampire?" Laura was curious.

"Yes." Carmilla looked uncomfortable. Laura noticed.

"Sorry, you don't have to answer all these questions," she said, feeling bad.

"No, it's okay," Carmilla said quickly, "I'm just not used to answering these sort of questions."

Laura nodded. "So, where does the blood come from exactly?"

"Well, this stuff comes from blood banks, donors who give it willingly. I suppose they think it will be used in hospitals, or something. We aren't all crazed killers, Laura." Carmilla took a careful sip. "Although many of us are, that is. Some of us do live peacefully in society."

Laura took a large gulp, burning her throat a little. "And this guy, this vampire, he arranges blood for other vampires?"

"Yes," Carmilla answered, "it's pretty common. Many cities have them. It's not exactly legal, of course, but it's necessary."

Laura gasped, suddenly realising something. "Hang on...Will? He isn't... He can't be..."

Carmilla looked a little pained. "Yes."

"Fuck!" Laura swore. "Are you sure he's safe to- to be around?"

Carmilla looked thoughtful. "I haven't seen William for decades, honestly. But he was always fairly peaceful. I don't think he would be hanging with you lot if he didn't truly want to live a normal life."

"Okay," Laura said, relaxing, "okay. Wow. This is crazy. Are there many of you?"

"Not as many as there are humans, that's for sure." Carmilla took another sip. "There aren't that many of us, no."

"Are you going to tell me what you and Will were talking about?" Laura asked quietly.

Carmilla sighed heavily. "Yeah. Later, though. I need to take care of some stuff first."

"Oh. Okay. Sure." Laura finished her cocoa and placed it on the small table beside the sofa. Carmilla stood up, threw back the rest of her blood and grinned at Laura, showing dripping fangs. "Lovely," Laura remarked dryly, watching a trickle of blood make its way down her roommates chin.

"Isn't it just?" Carmilla said. Laura watched her fangs slowly retract. Fascinating, she thought. "Type AB is my favourite," the vampire continued, "it's just so _refreshing_."

"You're so weird," Laura muttered, slowly getting off the sofa. "Hang on, I'm AB."

Carmilla, wiping her chin with a tissue, looked up. "I know that," she said, a little hoarsely. She took a slow, predatory step towards Laura, who froze, the back of her legs brushing the sofa cushion. Carmilla took another step and another, until they were just an inch apart and Laura's breathing became shallow. Carmilla had a glint in her eyes that made her feel excited and scared at the same time, a heady, addictive sensation. The vampire slowly lifted a hand and brushed Laura's hair to the side so it fell loosely over one shoulder. Her gaze was fixed on Laura's bare neck, where the mark from her previous bite was. "Mmm... You smell incredible." She bent and gently kissed the skin, drawing a loud gasp from Laura. Her heartbeat was roaring in her ears. "And I remember you..." Carmilla let her head rise slightly until her mouth was resting on the shell of Laura's ear. "You taste divine."

Laura couldn't help it. She moaned, loudly, embarrassingly so, and felt her knees wobble precariously. Carmilla smiled against her ear and drew away, moving towards the door. "I'll see you later," she said huskily, and disappeared.

Laura let her knees give way and fell back against the sofa. "Ugh," she groaned, digging her palms into her eyes, "she is such a tease."

 

**

 

"This is really, really good."

"Are you sure?" Laura asked nervously, chewing on her jumper sleeve.

Danny laughed. "Yes, I'm sure," she said, "it's great. You need to tweak the second paragraph a little-"

"It's awful, I know," Laura said miserably.

"No, no, it's not awful," Danny promised. "It just isn't perfect."

They were sitting at the table in Danny's apartment having walked back from the lecture hall together. Danny had helped her by going through her paper and pointing out what needed work. Being friends with the TA sure helped. Laura gave her a huge grin and received a soft smile in return.

"So..." Danny began slowly, "how's life with your new roommate?"

Oh god, was that jealousy? She couldn't deal with jealousy. "It's okay."

"Mmm. She's very attractive."

"I mean, well, yes, I suppose, but like, I guess, I hadn't really thought about it-"

"Relax, Laura," Danny told her, "you can like who you want."

Laura let all the breath out of her lungs in one huff. "I know... I just, I mean, I feel bad?"

Danny hesitantly placed a hand on hers. "Please don't," she said, "these things happen."

"I'm sorry." Laura looked down at her lap. "I feel like we've been losing touch since... Yeah, and I want to be friends with you, Danny."

"Just friends," Danny sighed. It wasn't a question. She retracted her hand and curled it into a fist. "It's not going to be easy, being around you." She cleared her throat. "But I'll take what I can get."

"Okay," Laura said, unsure of what to say in this sort of situation. She wasn't used to people liking her. It was, she had to admit, sort of flattering.

Danny's roommate burst in, ruining their little bubble. "Yo!"

"Hey, Nova," Laura said, raising a hand in greeting. "I'll just be off then," she said to Danny, "see you around."

She left the apartment feeling happy. Danny's apartment was only two away from her own; the group had all got flats in the same building after their first year. Smiling to herself, she fished the key out from her pocket and inserted it into the lock just as a scuffling sound reached her. She paused, pressing her ear to the door of the apartment. Someone was definitely inside. It couldn't have been Carmilla; she had bumped into her just ten minutes ago leaving the apartment.

"Crap," she whispered. What to do? She had a small pistol in her bag, for safety purposes. Grabbing it, she held it by her side, put one hand on the door handle, turned the key slowly, and then pushed the door with all her might. "Get out of my flat!" she screamed at the top of her voice, sprinting in with the gun raised.

"Ahhhhhh!" _Thump_.

Laura lowered the gun when she saw Carmilla looking up at her with a comically startled expression on her face. She seemed to have fallen off the sofa.

"What the fuck? Is that a... Do you have a gun?" Carmilla yelled.

"Sorry." She put it back in her bag, blushing. "I thought you were a burglar."

"Or maybe just your roommate?" Carmilla said, clambering up and throwing Laura a murderous look.

"I literally just saw you leaving," Laura said, defensively, hanging her coat up.

"I'm a fucking vampire, cupcake," Carmilla snapped, "I move really fucking _fast_."

"Well, I'm _sorry_ ," Laura replied indignantly.

Carmilla huffed and fell back against the sofa. "Who casually carries a gun around with them?"

"Someone with an overprotective dad who made his daughter take shooting, martial arts and boxing lessons." Laura went over to the sofa, shoved Carmilla's legs off and sat down, grabbing the TV remote.

"Seriously?"

"Yes, seriously." Laura groaned. "Which reminds me, I need to practice."

"What?"

"Practice, Carm, I need to practice."

"Practice what?" Carmilla blinked at her. She looked adorably confused.

"I missed my last karate lesson because of you attacking me-"(here Carmilla murmured, "I think attacking is just a _tad_ overdramatic, isn't it," - " so I need to practice. My instructor will kill me if I turn up unfocused."

"Whatever." Carmilla waved a hand and sank deeper into the sofa.

"Great! Rise, sparring partner," Laura said chirpily, jumping up.

"What? Wait, no, I didn't sign up for this shit." Carmilla scowled.

"I don't give a shit, get up. You bit me, you made me miss my lesson." Laura kicked her shin.

"Ugh, fine," Carmilla grumbled, slowly rising off the sofa. She brushed by Laura, leaning in close to whisper seductively, "keep ordering me around, cupcake, I like it."

Laura floundered for a moment, losing her focus as Carmilla sauntered away from. _Laura, stop staring at her ass, no matter how incredible it looks or how hot she is or how she makes you want to_ -

"Cupcake. You coming?" Carmilla called with an amused tone.

"I- yes," Laura said, flushing. She ripped off her flannel shirt so she was just in a tank top and leggings and removed her socks. Then she went over to where Carmilla was standing in the large open space by the window. "Okay." She faced her partner, placed her hands behind her back and sank into a bow, murmuring in Japanese. For a second she thought she heard Carmilla murmur something like "Jesus Christ", but she assumed she'd misheard as when she rose, Carmilla was standing there watching her expectantly.

"So," Laura began, "I want you to hold your left palm up sideways, like this." She demonstrated. Carmilla mirrored her. Something exciting, something warm and fuzzy rose within her as she watched Carmilla watching her. She swallowed deeply. "Good. Now, I'm going to do a simple side kick, and my foot will hit your hand. I'll be gentle for you."

"Cupcake," Carmilla said softly, "you don't need to be gentle. I'm basically indestructible."

"Okay," Laura said doubtfully. She kicked quickly into Carmilla's hand. The vampire didn't move a muscle, not even the twitch of an eye. She was like stone. Laura launched another swift kick into her hand.

Carmilla gave an exaggerated yawn and looked at her nails. "Oh, sorry, was that a kick? I didn't feel anything."

Laura felt her eyes narrow. She locked eye contact with the vampire and then suddenly launched a front kick at Carmilla's stomach. Her foot connected with air. Carmilla had neatly side stepped so fast she hasn't seen it. She gave Laura a proud smirk.

Laura growled. "It's on," she hissed.

"Bring it." Carmilla grinned.

Laura threw a fist at Carmilla but it was quickly blocked. She bounced on her toes, bringing her hands up to her face, getting back into the sparring rhythm she knew and loved. Back kick, side kick, jab, fast jab - repeat. Carmilla effortlessly blocked all of them. After a few minutes, Laura was breathing heavily while Carmilla looked completely at ease. She threw a punch at Carmilla's torso, then launched a quick side kick, switched legs, did it again. She still couldn't touch her. The vampire evaded her every move.

"Ugh! You're so frustrating!" Laura snapped frustratedly, still hopping lightly on her toes.

"I like this side of you," Carmilla breathed, her eyes fixed on Laura's. She slowly brought her hands up to the sparring position.

"Come on. Hit me," Laura said tauntingly, "I'm a black belt."

"A black belt who hasn't even touched me yet," Carmilla said, grinning when Laura's mouth fell open.

With a loud war cry, Laura launched another flurry of attacks on her, and the two began fighting like they were engaged in a wild dance. Laura was the attacker, Carmilla the defender, but that didn't stop the vampire from throwing a few lazy punches which Laura managed to block.

"I think you've _really_ got to show me this Laura more often," Carmilla told her, dodging her elbow and throwing a jab at her. She ducked out the way.

"Yeah, well," Laura replied, panting hard, "I'm angry at the fact that I have such an _awful_ roommate, who never cleans up after herself and doesn't do her goddamn chores!" She switched legs and blocked Carmilla's kick just in time.

"Well, I have this stupidly _annoying_ roommate who whines _all_ day and _all_ night about pointless things like _chores_ ," Carmilla said breathlessly, swerving to the right as Laura launched a strong kick at her torso.

"Yeah? Well I'm ridiculously sexually frustrated!" Laura half-shouted. Carmilla, a certain gleam appearing in her eye, kicked at Laura, who ducked and then threw a kick of her own. Carmilla caught her leg and pinned it onto her shoulder. Laura didn't move. Her ankle was resting in the groove between Carmilla's neck and shoulder. Both girls were now breathing hard, staring intently into each others eyes. Something electric and uncontrollable crackled through the air between them.

Carmilla let go, her eyes dark and smoky, and Laura slowly brought her leg down until it rested on the floor. Suddenly, Carmilla whipped out her leg and curled it around Laura's, jerking it outward so that the smaller girl lost balance and fell backwards. Laura grabbed her arm as she toppled over. Carmilla managed to land on top of her and cradle her fall at the same time. The movement happened in less than a second.

An eternity passed. Laura, her breath coming in gasps, couldn't look away from Carmilla's burning gaze. The weight of the woman's body pressing down into her was delicious. Carmilla was breathing heavily too.

"So tell me," the vampire whispered, her voice low, "about this sexual frustration?"

Laura gave a gasp that developed into a moan as Carmilla rocked into her, hitting all the right places. "Wh-what?" She struggled to form thoughts. Her mind was on nothing but the feel of Carmilla above her.

"The sexual frustration," Carmilla breathed, slowly pushing her body into Laura's again. Watching Carmilla's lips form the word 'sexual' along with the added pressure of her body made Laura completely incoherent. She gasped again as Carmilla dragged her hands down her torso and slipped them under top, gently stroking at her skin.

"Carm," she groaned. Her pulse was through the roof, her heartbeat roaring in her ears.

"Yeah, cupcake?" Carmilla said huskily, dragging her hands across to Laura's hips where she rubbed small circles with her thumbs.

"Stop talking."

Carmilla needed no further invitation.Their lips collided in a furious kiss. Laura tangled her hands in Carmilla's hair, moaning as Carmilla slid her tongue inside her mouth with soft, talented strokes that made her tremble. She softly bit down on Carmilla's lip and was rewarded with a soft moan of pleasure. Groaning at the sound, she pulled Carmilla closer, running her hands down her back until they were resting on her leather pants. Carmilla pulled away, panting heavily, and looked down at her. Her lips were dark and swollen, her eyes black with lust. Laura reached up with one hand to run a fingertip over Carmilla's bottom lip. Carmilla gently nipped at her finger; she could see her fangs.

Carmilla bent again and began to softly kiss Laura's chin, moving down across her neck, gently biting and sucking at the delicate area. Laura gave an embarrassingly breathy moan at the sensation. The vampire had clearly had a lot of practice- her movements were deft and refined, and she seemed to know exactly how to pull a sigh of pleasure from Laura's mouth. The pace picked up again as Carmilla bit down hard and then sucked the mark. At the same time, she cupped Laura through her leggings and massaged roughly. Laura cried out and arched her back. Wetness pooled quickly between her thighs as Carmilla continued to rub the aching area and kiss her neck. Her clit was throbbing with need and her skin felt prickly and hot.

"Carm," she moaned, her hips beginning to move with the rhythm of Carmilla's strokes.

"Yeah, cupcake?" Carmilla asked, her voice gravelly with desire. "You okay?"

She pressed down with a fingertip on Laura's clit through the thin layers of fabric and lace.

"Fuck!" Laura grabbed Carmilla's face roughly and brought her lips down to meet her own. Carmilla nipped her bottom lip lightly, moaning appreciatively when Laura cupped her ass and squeezed it. She dragged her hand up Laura's leggings, her touch moving along the waistline teasingly slowly. She pulled back a bit- and suddenly she wrenched herself away and disappeared.

"What the- Carm?" Laura asked bewilderedly, lifting her head up to look around in a dazed fashion. Where did she go? She sat up a little and saw Carmilla pressed against the far wall, pure fear painted on her face. "Carm, what the hell?"

"Laura. By your left ear," Carmilla uttered. She shifted uncomfortably.

Laura, her movements slow and still heavy with desire, sat up and turned her head to the floor. Beside her was a minute spider, frozen on the floorboards. It was smaller than her thumbnail. She slowly looked up at Carmilla, back down at the spider then back up.

"Laura, get rid off it!"

She couldn't help it. First came the smile, then the chuckle, and soon it had developed into a full blown explosion of laughter that made her clutch her stomach in pain. Tears pooled in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks as she howled. One look at Carmilla's furious look and she laughed even harder until her abs burned and she gasped for breath.

"A centuries old- badass- vampire, with super strength- and, and speed- and she's afraid of a- a teeny spider!" she managed to say through her laughter.

Carmilla had never looked more angry and it set her off again. "They have eight legs!" the vampire snapped, scowling, "and they're- they're furry!"

"Oh god!" Laura howled, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Get rid of it!"

"I- I'm dying!"

"Laura!"

"This is the best- the best thing I've ever heard!"

"LAURA!"

"Okay, okay," she said, still laughing. She gently cupped her hand and nudged the spider up onto it. It was cute. It deserved to be named. "I name thee... Gary," she announced. Gary stopped in the centre of her palm.

"Stop being a weirdo and get rid of the fucking monster," Carmilla hissed. Laura, grinning, moved towards Carmilla, who shrank away from her. "Laura, I swear to God, I will actually-"

"I'm going, I'm going," Laura sniggered, turning away from her to move down the corridor. There was a small window there which she opened with one hand, crooning to Gary. "We could keep him as a pet!" she called over her shoulder.

"I will kill you!"

"Fine, he's going out the window." Gary crawled onto the edge of the outside ledge and she told him goodbye and closed the window. Then she pulled up the bottom of her top to wipe away her tears, and made her way back towards the main room.

"Is it gone?" she heard Carmilla ask quickly.

"Yes, yes, he's gone for-" Laura was cut off as she was suddenly shoved into the wall and Carmilla's lips slammed onto hers. The vampire pinned her arms above her head with one hand. Her grip was immeasurably strong, but not painful. Laura moaned into her mouth. Carmilla pulled back and let go of her arms just long enough to whip her top over her head before she continued to furiously kiss her. Her free hand moved deftly to expertly unclip the back fastening of Laura's bra and pull it off her, throwing it carelessly on the floor. Laura gasped as Carmilla pulled her lips away and travelled south towards her breasts. She gently nipped the skin above each, and pinched one nipple hard between her fingers.

"Fuck, Carm," Laura moaned breathily. She felt the vampire smile against her skin and she cried out when Carmilla bit down on the nipple and then soothed it with her tongue. Her other hand was roughly pinching the other, working it to a stiff point. Laura struggled to move with her arms held hard above her; the feeling of Carmilla pinning her still caused wetness to rapidly pool in her panties. She groaned again, pushing her chest forward.

Carmilla let go of her nipple and brought her hand down the brush the waistline of her pants. Laura's lower stomach was a sensitive area and she gasped, her eyes fluttering shut and her head falling back against the wall. Carmilla picked up on it, and dragged her nails lightly across the skin, back and forth, back and forth, teasing her. Her mouth travelled up Laura's neck and hungrily attacked her lips again.

When Carmilla's hand delved into her pants to rub tiny circles around her clit with her thumb, Laura cried out. If the other woman wasn't holding her up by her arms, she had a feeling she'd collapse. She mewed with pleasure as Carmilla pinched lightly, then continued the trace circles. She broke free from Carmilla's kiss and let her head drop onto the woman's shoulder, her hips rotating in a steady rhythm.

"These pants are a pain," Carmilla murmured, pulling both hands away from Laura who growled at the lack of contact. The vampire knelt down, grinning up at her, and yanked down her pants along with her panties until they pooled at her feet. Laura should have been embarrassed at the total exposure, but Carmilla was looking at her naked body with a sense of awe that made her feel more sexy than ever. Carmilla gently kissed her knee, trailing kisses up her thigh until she neared the spot where Laura wanted it most. "You're beautiful."

Laura tangled her hands in Carmilla's hair and smiled. "Look who's talking."

"I mean it," Carmilla said fervently, "you're stunning."

Laura didn't have time to blush as Carmilla reached up and ran a finger along her slit, circled her clit, then dragged it back down and repeated the movement. "You're so wet for me," the vampire groaned.

Laura moaned in response and began to rock her hips to the vampire's rhythm. "Stop teasing me, Carm," she said, her head falling back against the wall. "Please just-oh!"

Carmilla's mouth was on her and she lost all coherent thoughts. _Oh, sweet Jesus_. Carmilla sucked lightly on her clit, one hand on Laura's hips in a desperate attempt to keep them still as they moved of their own accord. The other hand trailed up her leg and lightly brushed her where she ached for contact the most.

"Carm, I swear to god," Laura managed to say though her gasps. She was so close. She tried to move her hips to get Carmilla's finger to move. The vampire grinned against her and pulled her finger away every time she tried. "Carm!"

The vampire took pity on her and sank two fingers inside of her, curling to stroke the front wall of her vagina. At the same time, she bit down on Laura's clit and Laura exploded. Stars danced behind her eyelids as her orgasm slammed into her and she cried out Carmilla's name. The vampire continued to stroke her as she came in a blinding rush of pleasure.

"Oh god," Laura sighed in ecstasy, her head falling back hard against the wall. Carmilla pulled her fingers out and looked up at her, smirking. "Don't look so smug, you. Get up here."

The vampire didn't argue and kissed her hard. Laura could taste herself on Carmilla's lips and she moaned.

"Cupcake," Carmilla sighed into her mouth.

"You're wearing far too many clothes," Laura told her, still trembling from her mind-blowing orgasm. She shoved Carmilla against the wall, pulling Carmilla's top over her head and kissed her roughly, sliding her tongue into her mouth. Without looking, she unclipped Carmilla's bra and threw it aside.

Carmilla broke away and looked at her."Impressive, cupcake, that took me years to- _oh shit_ , Laura," she moaned as Laura closed her mouth over a nipple. She sank her fingers into Laura's hair, groaning as Laura trailed kissed across to her other breast and continued her sweet torture. "Fuck, cupcake."

Laura bit down on her neck hard, her hands working the fastening on Carmilla's leather pants. Carmilla sighed loudly as Laura sucked the spot and pulled back to look proudly at her creation. The leather pants were just not coming off and she growled in frustration. Carmilla chuckled and softly pushed her away. She relaxed against the other wall and watched as Carmilla sensually undressed. God, she was beautiful- beautiful was an understatement. She let her eyes trail up and down the vampire's perfect body. Creamy white skin, that dark, rich hair that tumbled past her shoulders, a jawline that could saw through diamond, a flat toned stomach that Laura wanted to kiss all day... Carmilla stood there in her red lace panties like an erotic painting. She fought the urge to touch herself at the sight. Carmilla's eyes darkened like she knew what was running through Laura's mind. The vampire was staring at her too, lust gleaming in her eyes.

Laura slowly stepped forward, her eyes locked on Carmilla's. She heard the vampire's breath speeding up and fought back a smug smile. She reached out to touch Carmilla's perfect stomach, gently running her hand over the smooth skin there. Something else crackled in the air between them; a slow, burning passion leapt up in Laura like wildfire. She pressed her lips against Carmilla's, kissing her gently. Carmilla brought her hands up to cradle her face. It was soft and sweet, something other than pure lust in Carmilla's eyes when she pulled back. Laura kissed her again, hard and passionate. The temperature quickly rose as she nibbled on Carmilla's plush bottom lip and was rewarded with a low moan. Laura brought her hand down to brush the lace panties and Carmilla gasped into her mouth with excitement, moaning when Laura dipped her hand in and brushed her clit with a fingertip, running it down to find Carmilla hot and wet.

"Someone's excited," she murmured in delight, pulling her hand out. Carmilla, eyes dark, leant forward and sucked on her finger, moaning as she tasted herself. Laura almost exploded at the sight. She pulled her finger from Carmilla's mouth and replaced it with her tongue, bringing her hand back down into Carmilla's soaking panties. She quickly sank a finger into the vampire, who cried out and rocked against her hand. Laura smiled and pulled it out, circled her opening, dipped her finger in again and repeated the movement until the vampire growled a furious curse at her. Laura couldn't help but grin harder.

"Laura, I swear to God, I will- ugh, fuck!" Laura quickly dipped two fingers into Carmilla and moved them in and out. Watching the vampire lose her thoughts and almost collapse against the wall was a truly beautiful sight. Carmilla was mewling in pleasure, her hips rocking in a steady rhythm with Laura's strokes. "Laura, I'm gonna, oh shit, I'm about to-"

"Laura?"

"Fuck!" She quickly pulled her hand out of Carmilla's panties, flushing hard.

Carmilla looked murderous. "I'm gonna kill-"

"Shh!" She shoved her hand against Carmilla's mouth, biting her lip to fight off a moan when Carmilla's tongue darted out to taste her palm. "I, yeah, ugh, who's there?"

"It's LaF? We were gonna have a Doctor Who marathon, remember...?" LaFontaine's voice came closer.

"Wait, don't come down the corridor!" she shrieked. Carmilla stared at her with wide eyes. She wrenched her hand away and quickly began pulling on her clothes. "Get dressed!" she hissed to Carmilla.

The vampire glared at the ceiling. "I cannot catch a break," she muttered angrily.

"Laura, you okay? You sound funny."

"What? Oh yeah, just fine, dandy really, honestly totally completely and utterly perfect," she rambled, struggling to put her top on. Carmilla gave her a _are-you-kidding-me-you-dweeb_ look and she glared at her. The vampire bared her fangs, pulling on her leather pants.

"Okay, seriously Laura, what's wrong?" LaFontaine called.

"Nothing, stay there!" She awkwardly pulled on her leggings, trying to ignore her incredibly hot and now furious, sexually frustrated roommate who was a few inches beside her.

Carmilla, fully dressed in less than a second, pulled Laura to her and kissed her hard and fast, biting her lip as she pulled away. "We will finish this soon," she promised, then disappeared.

"Wow, that was a strong draft, Laura, you should get that checked out," LaFontaine said to her.

"I...yeah," Laura replied, still frozen from the force of Carmilla's kiss. She touched her own lips lightly, then shook her head and made her way to the main room.

"There you are!" LaFontaine said, beaming. They stopped and peered at Laura suspiciously. "You look a little flustered."

"Sorry, I was... working out." Laura tried hard not to blush.

"Oh... okay." LaFontaine brushed it aside. They dumped a bag on the counter and pulled out a set of DVDs. "I got the whole series, man, let's get started!"

Laura smiled. "Yeah. Let's get started."


	6. Mircalla Karnstein

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> COMPLETELY UNEDITED I WILL EDIT THIS SOON

"I can't, oh god!"

Laura buried her face in LaFontaine's shoulder, squeezing her eyes closed and shoving her fingers in her ears. She could feel LaF vibrating with laughter and she could still hear the sounds of the TV.

"Okay, okay, it's over," LaF snorted, shoving her, "get up. Next one."

"That's the scariest episode ever," Laura announced, searching for the remote. She pulled it out from under the cushion.

"Hey, Laura."

"Yeah?"

LaF turned to her. "Are you my mummy?" they asked in a creepily disembodied voice.

"Stop it!" Laura laughed, hitting her, "stop it right now!"

"Come on, let's watch the next one," LaF moaned.

"Let me just get more popcorn." She hopped up, passing LaF the remote, and grabbed the empty bowl. "Toffee or salty?"

"Hmmm... Toffee."

"Okay." She poured the remainder of the packet into the bowl and rejoined LaF on the sofa.

As the episode began, LaF turned to her and said, "so you and Carmilla, huh?"

"What?" Laura blushed hard. "No?"

"Come on, it was obvious, Laura. Tell me everything."

Laura sighed and paused the episode. "There's not much to tell. We... you know... did it."

"Did it?" LaF snorted. "She is pretty stunning... Not my type though."

Laura nudged them. "Sure, she and Perry are pretty much opposites."

LaF had the grace to blush. "We are talking about you and Miss Broodypants, not me and... Anyways, do you like her?"

Laura groaned and fell back against the sofa. "I don't know, LaF, I barely know her. She's... certainly something. I just haven't figured out what that something is. There's something about her that makes me feel..."

"Electric?"

"Yeah," Laura murmured, thinking about Carmilla's face and eyes and laugh and smile, "electric."

LaF smiled gently. "Sounds like you have it bad."

"I literally just met the woman, for gods sake," Laura groaned. She dropped her head in her hands. "It's a stupid schoolgirl crush."

"Yeah, but she must like you too, if you did, you know, the dirty deed."

"Maybe... But god it was amazing. The things she can do..." Laura sighed at the memory of yesterday's moment.

"Ew. Most disgusting mental image ever. Carry on."

Laura laughed. "I don't mind the sex. I don't mind it if we do it again, you know? I mean, she said we would continue it, but I don't know what that means really. She's my roommate? We can't do that can we? It would mess things up, right?"

LaF looked thoughtful. "Tell her how you feel."

"I don't feel anything. I don't know her! I just feel... very attracted to her. That is all."

"So you don't like her? In a more than just crazy monkey lust way?" LaF asked.

"I don't think so... She's such a bitch most of the time. But then sometimes she's so sensitive and sweet. But then she's a bitch again. And she's so secretive. She's like a whole different creature." Oh, the irony, she mused to herself.

"Sounds like you got it bad," LaF told her honestly.

"No. I just feel something." Laura shook her head. "Let's get back to Doctor Who, please?"

LaF could see she was uncomfortable with the topic. They nodded and pressed play.

 

***

 

Laura woke up, drenched in sweat, her eyes flying open. There was a ringing in her ears and she shook her head frantically. The light blinded her. As the ringing began to subside, loud voices reached her.

"Laura! Jesus Christ... Oh, she's awake! Laura! Are you okay?"

She was suddenly aware of something strong clamped around her arms and waist, pinning her still. She yelped in alarm and began to thrash around, trying to break free.

"Woah, cupcake! It's me, it's me, okay, shhh," Carmilla murmured soothingly into her ear. The sound of her voice made Laura instantly relax. She sagged into Carmilla's arms.

"Laura, it's LaF." She looked up into LaFontaine's worried face. "Laura... I need you to pass me the knife, okay?"

"...Knife?" Laura slowly looked down at her hand. Gripped firmly in her left fist was a large kitchen knife. With a gasp of horror, she noticed that blood was dripping from the tip onto the floor, creating a crimson pool on the linoleum. She cried out and instantly dropped it. "Oh my God!"

"Cupcake, I need you to relax, okay?" Carmilla whispered in her ear. "I'm going to let go now, okay? Be still." Laura, beginning to hyperventilate, stayed immobile as Carmilla slowly loosened her arms and took a step back. Then she turned around and threw herself into the vampire's arms, bursting into tears. Carmilla's warm arms encircled her, rubbing her back and shoulders as she sobbed.

"You're safe, you're safe, I got you cupcake, I'm here..." Laura lifted her face to look at Carmilla. The vampire's face was pinched with concern, her eyebrows furrowed as she looked down at Laura's face. Her eyes, however, were fearful. Laura was suddenly embarrassed and scared at the same time. She broke free of Carmilla's hold and took a few steps back, bumping into LaFontaine.

"Steady, Laura, steady." They put their hands on her shoulders.

"Carmilla, where did the blood come from. Tell me." LaF and Carmilla glanced at each other. "Tell me!"

"Laura, I think you should sit down..." LaF said gently. They had a flannel in their hand, reaching towards Laura.

It was then that she became aware of a stinging in her forearm, a little prickling sensation. It quickly increased into a full out burn, deep and painful. She hissed in pain and looked down.

Deep red gashes along her forearm were bright crimson with blood, dripping down her wrist and fingers into the floor. She cried out and twisted away from herself, panic rising within her like an eruption.

"Laura!" Carmilla ran at her, grabbing her shoulders. "Calm down!" Her touch was like magic again, instantly calming her. She stopped moving, gasping for air.

It suddenly occurred to her that she was in the arms of a vampire. She wrestled free, arms flailing, and ran to LaFontaine. "You attacked me! she yelled at Carmilla. "You-you bit me again!"

Carmilla looked pained. LaF put a hand on Laura's heaving shoulder. "Laura... She didn't hurt you."

"Well, then who did?" Laura said. Tears of pain and confusion raced down her face. She stepped away from LaFontaine, not liking the look on their face. It was wary and nervous...of her. Her back bumped into the cabinet. The pain in her arm was getting worse.

"Laura, it was...you."

She shook her head. "No. Why would I do this to myself?" Her knees gave way and she sank to the ground. She stared at her arm. It took a while but she realised that the lines marring her arm were not random; in fact, they looked like letters.

"M...MIRC," she read aloud. "What does that mean?" The fear and pain had suddenly left her. She felt strange and empty. Carmilla hesitantly sat gingerly on the floor beside her. Laura didn't turn to look; she ripped her gaze away from her arm and stared vacantly at the floor, dotted with blood.

"I stopped you before you could finish the word," Carmilla said slowly. She reached her hand towards Laura's, but paused and retracted it, seemingly nervous to touch her. "I came into the room to see you standing by the stool over there, carving the letters into your skin. Your eyes were open, but... There was nothing in them. They were completely vacant."

Laura turned to look at her. The vampire's eyes were dark. Carmilla licked her lips and looked into her eyes. "I was really worried," she whispered softly to Laura.

Laura had never wanted to kiss her so badly. She looked away and stood up on shaky legs. LaFontaine was still awkwardly standing there. They quickly handed Laura to flannel and bent to pick up the knife. Laura bit her lip and pressed the flannel to the blood on her arm. She let out a hiss of pain.

"Laura, I hate to do this," LaF said, dropping the knife into the sink, "but I think you need to get to the hospital."

"No, I'm okay," Laura said quickly. She stared at the flannel, which was quickly darkening in blood. "I'm okay."

LaF looked doubtful. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." Laura removed the flannel and struggled to look at the red letters. They were horrific. "I just don't understand why I would do this to myself."

LaF bit their lip. "I don't know." Their phone buzzed and they pulled it from their pocket. "Shit, its Per, I need to go. No, I can't leave you. I'll tell her to-"

"Go," Laura said tiredly, "I'll be okay."

Carmilla suddenly jumped up and stood very close to Laura. "I won't let anything happen to her," she told LaF assuredly. Laura blushed a little. She felt a little faint all of a sudden and sat on the stool.

LaF looked at Carmilla with a strange look in their eyes. "Okay." They walked slowly to the door, glancing behind them at Laura. "Call me later, Laura, okay?"

"Yeah." They left.

Carmilla turned to Laura and looked at her carefully. Laura looked at her arm. The MIRC was clear, and it looked as though she had begun to write another letter when she was stopped. Exhausted and in pain, she dropped her head to the table.

There was a rustle and when she looked up, Carmilla was beside her on the other stool with the first aid kit on the table in front her. She had a cotton wool pad in her fingers. Laura watched her pour some antiseptic onto it and hold it above the cuts.

"This is going to hurt," the vampire murmured.

Laura just nodded, too tired to speak. She made a little groan when Carmilla gently swiped the wound. She worked quickly and silently, rubbing all the letters and the space around them, then threw the cotton wool pad away and pulled a bandage out the first aid kit. Laura held out her arm and squeezed her eyes closed as Carmilla wrapped her arm up, her eyes flying open when Carmilla gently kissed her palm.

Carmilla stared into her eyes. "I think it was my mother," she said suddenly, sliding off the stool and breaking the trance. She leant against the cabinet and pinned Laura with a wary look.

"Your mother?" Laura was confused. She flexed her wrist slowly, struggling to move her arm with the thick bandage around it.

"I promised I'd tell you everything, didn't I," Carmilla sighed. She ran her hand over her face. Laura suddenly had a little glimpse of her years of age on her face. She had a sort of wisdom only the older generation had.

"Yes," Laura said simply. She hadn't forgotten.

"Alright. I have to watch you anyway, just in case."

Laura slid off the stool, wobbling a little. She had a feeling she'd lost more blood than she realised. Carmilla instantly grabbed her elbow to steady her. She looked up at the vampire's face and felt her stomach turn on itself as Carmilla looked down at her.

"Can we lie down in my bed?" Laura asked softly. "I'm tired."

"Yeah, of course, cupcake," Carmilla replied. She guided Laura towards the room like she was a piece of delicate china. Laura immediately fell on the bed and lay on her back, resting her throbbing arm on her stomach. Carmilla walked around the other side of the bed and lay beside her. Despite the pain and tiredness, the proximity of Carmilla's body made her feel hot and needy.

"So..." she said.

"So..." Carmilla repeated. They stared at the ceiling. "Where do I begin?"

"From the beginning," Laura said helpfully.

Carmilla snorted. "Yeah, cheers for that, creampuff."

Laura smiled despite herself. She rolled carefully onto her side. Carmilla, after a few moments, mirrored her. They stared at each other. Laura's heart was beating fast. Their faces were very close together. She blushed a little; it was almost romantic.

"I was born in..." Carmilla looked as though she was struggling with the words. She suddenly grabbed Laura's hand and entwined their fingers together. Laura bit her lip to hide the gasp. Carmilla's eyes darkened looking at her mouth. "It was the winter of 1483."

Laura couldn't help it. "Fucking hell!" she exclaimed, then quickly covered her mouth with her free hand, flushing. "Sorry."

Carmilla smiled a little. "Don't be. I'm really fucking old, aren't I?"

"So you're... 532?" Carmilla nodded. "Wow. Jesus."

"Yep," Carmilla murmured, "you had sex with a 532 year old."

Laura gaped at her and flushed a darker red. She couldn't think of a thing to say to that. Carmilla gave her a wicked smirk. Laura shook her head and muttered, "you're incorrigible."

"I know," Carmilla snickered. She looked at their hands, twisting them around in front of them. Laura shivered unwillingly.

"Go on," she said softly. Carmilla pinned her with a dark look. "Please?"

"I was born in 1483," she said again. "My name was Mircalla Karnstein. I was the daughter of very rich lord who was a close friend and advisor of the Austrian king at the time. I lived in the palace along with my father and mother, although she died when I was very young." She took a deep breath. Laura listened to her smooth voice, spellbound. "It had been a long, arduous winter, and so on the first day of spring in 1500 there was a huge festival to celebrate the end of winter and the new century. We had ball after ball after ball at the palace. I was going to be 17 that year, and I was still in the process of finding myself. I loved dancing and I loved my lavish lifestyle." Her eyes took on a glassy quality as she reminisced. "It was at one of the balls when I saw her for the first time. She was about double my age, maybe, and she shone in the ballroom like a jewel. No one could take her eyes of her. But I found that there was something cold and fierce in her gaze. She was a lady of some high birth, I can't remember exactly. I avoided her like the plague, and I think she realised this, that I was the only person in the palace who was not falling at her feet." Carmilla absentmindedly brushed a hair from Laura's forehead. She closed her eyes, leaning into Carmilla's touch automatically. "I remember the night perfectly. This ball had been the grandest, the biggest, the most ornate of them all. I was wearing a silk red gown and my hair was up in an elaborate twist that my maids had spent hours on- I was very spoilt. The evening had been wild; I had drunk more champagne than I should have and I had danced with everyone there. I'd spent the evening flirting with half the room, men and women alike. I didn't realise that it was only women for me at that young age." She smiled ruefully. "Oh, what a night that was... Parties nowadays just cannot compare to what they used to be like. Oh Laura, they were magical." She heaved a sigh. "Now, it was the early hours of the morning when I ventured out onto the balcony to meet with another girl who I had been flirting with shamelessly. Her name was Maria and she was a few years my senior, although by no means more mature than I. I was young but I was grown up, to a point- I was silly and careless too, like any other 17 year old. I had had many sexual encounters before, mainly with young girls like me, and so naturally I seduced her."

She paused. Laura let go of her breath, not realising that she had been holding it. Add wonderful storyteller to the list of Carmilla's many talents, she thought.

"We were...you know, in the middle of it all, when suddenly, out of nowhere, she was ripped from my grasp and she went tumbling over the edge of the balcony." Carmilla's face took on a haunted look. "I still remember those screams she made... So pitiful. I, of course, ran to the edge to see her body below, limbs twisted in a grotesque manner. Then a hand fell on my shoulder and spun me around. It was her, that woman, the one who I despised."

Laura gasped. "And then what?"

"And then she murdered me and turned me into an evil creature of the night," Carmilla said nonchalantly. She moved away from Laura and sat up, breaking their hand hold.

"Seriously, that's it? No detail?" Laura sat up too.

"It wasn't pretty. There's not much to tell." Carmilla stood up and went to the door. "Come. I'm thirsty."

"What? I'm not your blood bag."

The 532 year old vampire rolled her eyes. "I have stuff in the kitchen, spaz."

"Oh...right." Laura rolled off the bed, a little woozy.

"Are you feeling any better?" Carmilla asked, leaning against the doorjamb, "how is your arm?

"It's fine, enough about me," Laura said, waving a hand. "Tell me about you." She followed Carmilla out of the room and into the kitchen. "Where does Will come into this?"

She watched Carmilla bend down to pull open the freezer, enjoying the view. When she pulled out a frozen blood bag, Laura raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

"What? It's like yummy blood ice cream," Carmilla said defiantly. She grabbed a knife and cut the bag, then put the frozen blood in a bowl and shoved a spoon into it. "Want some?"

Laura gave her a dry look. "No, thank you. Tell me about Will."

Carmilla shrugged, and put a spoonful of "ice cream" in her mouth. "He was another one of my mother's protégés."

"Your mother?" Laura sat on the stool opposite Carmilla.

"Yeah, the woman who turned me. We called her Mother."

"I see." Laura stared at her arm, where the pain had turned to a dull throb that was more annoying than painful. "And she made me do this? To myself?"

"Mother is very old and very powerful. She has many talents, such as getting into people's head when they are weak."

"Hey, I'm not weak!" Laura snapped.

"I didn't say you were. But when people are asleep they are. Their minds are too relaxed to fight back. She can worm her way in then. My guess is that your horrible dream was her work too."

"So your mother, where is she now?"

Carmilla swallowed her mouthful before speaking. "She was evil. Twisted. She made me and my... siblings, if you will, do terrible things. In 1912 we managed to- to shut her away, which was a great feat. Then we parted and went our separate ways. I haven't seen any of them since, apart from William."

"And is your mother back?"

Carmilla sighed. "I fear so." She took another spoonful. "And I fear that if she is, we are all screwed."

Laura shook her head. "There must be something we can do."

Carmilla laughed. "That's cute, but no, we are completely and utterly helpless. If she comes near this place I am out of here. I don't want to die. I'm not even 600 yet."

Laura sat in silence for a while, digesting the onslaught of information. Carmilla ate her blood ice cream, watching her carefully. When she had finished, she dumped her bowl in the sink and came to stand behind Laura. "You know," the vampire murmured with a husky voice, "there are more fun things that we could do, rather than talk about my tragic past."

Laura couldn't help but smile. "Oh yeah?"

"Hell yeah," Carmilla said. She reached forward and carefully placed her hand between Laura's legs to grab the stool. Laura held her breath as she was spun around.

Dammit, she thought, looking at Carmilla's face. Honestly, it was just unfair that someone should be allowed to look like that. Carmilla brushed a hand down Laura's face, catching her bottom lip with her thumb. Then she leaned forward and began to kiss Laura's chin with soft, gentle kisses, moving down to her neck and collarbones.

"Wait...wait," Laura said, already breathing heavily. She pushed Carmilla away a little and shook her head to clear away the hazy thoughts. "I don't want to be one of those annoying girls who's like 'what are we?' but we are roommates so is it a good idea to, you know, develop a relationship of the, um, sexual nature, because you know, if it goes wrong or, um, develops into something more, well, then I don't think that-"

Carmilla placed a finger on her mouth to stop her rambling. "Cupcake," she said, "you think too much." She brushed Laura's hair aside and began to kiss her neck again. Laura struggled to fight the desire building up inside her.

"Don't you think we should talk about-" she gasped as Carmilla kissed her pulse, "it?"

"What's there to talk about?" Carmilla said huskily against the skin of her neck. She pushed Laura's legs apart and positioned herself between them, running her hands up and down Laura's thighs. "We are just two girls-" she bit down on Laura's neck- "who live under the same roof-" she gently sucked the spot as Laura groaned- " share a mutual attraction-" she peppered kissed up Laura's chin- "and like to fuck." She nipped the shell of Laura's ear.

That did it. She turned her head and met Carmilla's lips with her own hungry ones. Carmilla moaned into her mouth, gliding her hands up Laura's body to tangle her fingers in her hair, and slipped her tongue into Laura's mouth. Laura sighed into the kiss, grabbing the vampire's waist to pull her closer. Carmilla grinded into her, drawing out a long moan.

"Ouch," Laura hissed, pulling away when Carmilla's elbow hit her sore arm.

"Oh, Christ, did I hurt you?"

Laura didn't reply; she just pulled Carmilla's head back down to hers and kissed her. The pain could wait- the hunger she felt for Carmilla could not.

They kissed slowly, languidly. Laura felt warmth rise in her torso like a hot flame. She ran her hands through Carmilla's soft hair, down her back and back up again. Carmilla purred with pleasure.

"Dude, it's so obviously not going to be like- oh shit!"

Laura instantly pulled away. Carmilla actually snarled. Kirsch and Danny stood in the doorway with their mouths open.

"Sorry," Danny said. She wrung her hands together and looked awkwardly at the floor. Kirsch, on the other hand, looked utterly delighted at the sight.

"Does nobody knock anymore?" Carmilla growled at the two intruders. She hadn't moved from between Laura's legs. "Evidently times have really changed since I was young." Under her breath Laura could have sworn she muttered, "damn these cockblocking gingers."

Laura had never been more embarrassed. She shoved Carmilla away, the vampire scowling at the ceiling, and smoothed her hair down.

"Sorry guys," she said, her face hot. Carmilla muttered curses under her breath.

"No no," Danny said quickly. She too had gone red. Laura instantly felt terrible; seeing the girl you like making out with someone else can't have been nice. She didn't know what to say, so she coughed and looked at the floor.

"Do you guys want to, you know, fuck off? You sort of interrupted," Carmilla told them bluntly. When Laura elbowed her in the ribs, she sighed and told that they were welcome to stay 'if they fucked off fairly soon'.

"We brought Chinese," Kirsch said, holding up a bag.

They sat down at the table by the window and doled out food. Kirsch was animated and happy; Danny was quiet and reserved, making Laura feel worse. Carmilla was her normal sarcastic self. She had picked up on Danny's feelings for Laura and so began to casually touch her, brushing Laura's hand or stroking her hair. Danny's face became steadily darker and Laura could hear her teeth grinding together.

"So, Xena, what do you do?" Carmilla asked. She was twirling her noodles around with her fork, giving Danny a sickly sweet smile.

Danny, glowering at her, answered, "I'm a TA at the university. Laura is actually in my class. We became really good friends when I started helping her with her work." She gave Carmilla a smug smile.

Laura was extremely uncomfortable. She stared at her dumplings. Kirsch began to pick up on the tension and looked confusedly between the two girls.

"Oh, is that so?" Carmilla murmured. "How interesting." She stroked the back of Laura's hand with a fingertip.

Danny glared. "Yeah, we've actually been friends for a long time now. How long have you known Laura?"

"Oh, I only moved her very recently. We just became such good friends so quickly," Carmilla replied sweetly.

"I can see," Danny said coolly. When Carmilla brushed a hand down Laura's arm she blurted angrily, "can you stop that?"

"Oh I'm sorry, is something bothering you?" Carmilla enquired. She was grinning unabashedly now.

Laura tried to interject. "Guys, I really think-"

"You don't know her at all!" Danny exclaimed angrily. "Seriously, you've been here all of a week or two? What's wrong with you? Laura isn't just some plaything that you can have a bit of fun with. I've known her far longer."

"Seriously guys I'm right here," Laura said loudly. She was getting pissed now. The two other girls ignored her. Kirsch was watching exchange with wide eyes.

"Jealous that I got her first?" Carmilla hissed.

"You're obviously taking advantage of her," Danny shot back.

"Must be hard watching the girl you love with someone else," Carmilla drawled.

"Shut up," Danny snapped. "A blind person could see that you are just using her. Whatever twisted thing you're pulling is stopping now."

"Enough!" Laura yelled. The two girls, who had at some time stood up and were almost nose to nose over the table, looked at her in surprise. "I am not something to be owned by either of you, Jesus Christ! I'm not a bloody prize to be won! Danny, you do not need to protect me. I am not some helpless child and I know what I am doing. Carmilla, you do not need to be so cruel, do you hear me? That is not the way to be behave! You should be ashamed of yourself."

The vampire glared at her unabashedly. Laura could see something almost cruel in her gaze, the dark, animalistic look of a predator. For a split second she was truly afraid of Carmilla, and she moved back slightly on her chair. Carmilla noticed, her eyes widening almost imperceptibility, and she reached a hand toward Laura. Then she shook her head and sank into her chair, pulling her hand back.

Danny, her back stiff as a rod, lowered herself back down. There was a long silence.

"Would anyone like a spring roll?" Kirsch asked suddenly.

 

***

 

Laura had a lecture late in the afternoon and it was a perfect time to get out of the apartment and away from her roommate. She needed time to think, so she walked slowly from the lecture hall across Silas campus. It would be Christmas soon, she suddenly realised, noticing the decorations draped around the lamps that lined the path.

She shivered and pulled her coat tighter around her, tucking her face into her scarf as the icy wind lashed against her skin. Her dad was going away this holiday, with a friend who had known Laura since birth. She wasn't angry at her dad for making the arrangement, but she had been looking forward to going home for Christmas and seeing him. Now she would have to stay here.

The university broke up for the end of the autumn term next week. She groaned internally thinking of all the exams she would have to revise for over the holidays. Why had she decided to take so many classes? All the work would be the death of her.

She dragged her boot against the ice gathering on the path. It had started to snow, little wispy flakes floating from the white sky above her that soon developed into a heavy flurry. She laughed and put her hands out to catch a snowflake in her palm. She watched it sizzle out from the heat of her body.

It was silent. The grass beside the path was now white, and although the caretakers had lain down copious amounts of salt on the path, it was still beginning to get difficult to walk.

Her thoughts turned to Carmilla as she trudged along, the cold beginning to gnaw at her. Carmilla had only been her roommate for a week now and yet her life had been more eventful in the past week that it had ever been. She had been bitten by a vampire. Her roommate turned out to be said vampire. She had then slept with her vampire roommate. She had argued with her vampire roommate. She had had an ancient vampire who happened to be her vampire roommate's mother invade her head, dreams and then made her carve letters into her skin with a knife.

Honestly, her life had flipped over in the matter of days; she wasn't sure she liked it, although it certainly wasn't boring.

She took a left on the path towards the left edge of the campus. The remains of the day's sunlight was seeping between the buildings ahead of her. Snow was falling about her in earnest now.

There was a scratching sound behind her and she froze. Her hand rested instinctively on her pocket where she kept her pepper spray. The scratching came again, slightly louder, and she spun around on her heel, holding the pepper spray out.

There was a silhouette of a cat making its way out of the snow towards her. She froze as the cat came closer, growing steadily in size until it looked like a panther was walking along the path.

"Carmilla? Is that you?" She whispered.

The huge cat stopped. She gasped as it began to shrink and warp, its body folding in on itself and growing upright, until suddenly there was a naked person standing there, their head cocked to the side and their dark eyes visible through the sheet of snow.

It was definitely not Carmilla.

 


End file.
